The Lion King Legacies - Book Four: The Inferno
by Haradion
Summary: Danyal and the Twins try to unite the rebellion and Vitani becomes involved in a conspiracy to allow others to fight for a deception. But do the ends justify the means? Ben-Kai-Ra now brings together of his forces for the conflict. And in the heart of it all, Kiava attempts to win the trust of Carroscirr and the allies with which he can reclaim his home. Or bring about its end.
1. Prologue - War In Heaven

**THE LION KING - LEGACIES:**

**Book 4.**

DISCLAIMER:

THIS IS A PIECE OF FANFICTION.

CHARACTERS, PLACES AND EVENTS THAT APPEAR IN THE LION KING, THE LION KING 2, THE LION KING 1½ AND THE LION KING SNA, ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF DISNEY AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES.

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS AND EVENTS ARE MY OWN INTERLECTUAL PROPERTY.

IF YOU CONSIDER THIS INTERLECTUAL THAT IS.

**"Welcome people, to the fourth installment of the exciting new Series: The Lion King – Legacies.**

**Please note: if you have not yet read "Lion King: Judgment", or the previous installments of The Lion King Legacies – you are encouraged to do so.**

**A Special Thank you to JJZ-109, Chu10, and all of the loyal readers and repeat reviewers. Your contributions are appreciated, and are what have driven me so far in the completion of this story.**

**Many thanks.**

**Cheers: Haradion"**

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**Prologue: War in Heaven**

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The Dark Lion moved across the dismal, grayish plains as quickly as he could. Like most of the Spirits, the Twilight realm unsettled him. It did not have the same life that the mortal world had, the same vibrancy, or the same allure. Nor was it anything like the heavens which he now inhabited since his death. They were however, a convenient place to gather, and speak. And it was to this purpose which he now bent himself.

The Dark lion made his way through the twisting writhing mists, seemingly knowing of some direction or location to travel, though there were no landmarks or features which might have pointed a casual traveler in the correct direction. It was, barren of life. Eventually, the mists cleared, and he saw the back of a pair of other lions. They were similar in size and shape. Golden, with manes and tail tips of a flaming crimson. They stood proud and noble, even with their back to him looking every inch kings. As he approached, he cleared his throat. They turned as one. The younger of the lions smiled when he saw him. Next to them stood another Darker Lion, who stood there is silence.

"Kovu." Simba said in greeting. Kovu bowed his head.

"Simba… Is everyone here yet?" He asked him. Simba shook his head.

"Nala will be a few moments… She isn't as… disturbed by this plane as my father and I, and often uses its mists to recall fond memories of happier times. I can't stand to have my mind ripped open in front of me, but she finds the process a relief to watching recent events…" Even as he finished speaking, the air rippled slightly, and a lioness emerged into view. She was a cream coated lioness, with startlingly blue eyes. Immediately, she moved to her mate, and nuzzled him, purring softly. When she saw Kovu however she smiled.

"It's good to see you, Kovu." She said, as if he were a visiting relative. It didn't seem necessary to state, but the habits of a lifetime were still in check, and it was sometimes hard to let go of the manners and courtesies which had been so prevalent in their mortal lives. Kovu returned the greeting warmly. He had always liked the King's mate. She was compassionate, pleasant, and spoke her mind.

"We've been watching the activities of your Son, Kovu. He's doing remarkably well. Better than any of us would have done in his place, I would wager." Simba said. Kovu smiled proudly. That much was true. Watching from the shadows and shadelands had been a grueling and taxing experience for any parent to sit and watch as their child underwent such terrors and experiences, but it had to be said, Kiava had successes thus far, and had indeed done remarkably well. Already kingly qualities were showing. His growth had been extraordinary. Kovu could not help but feel proud of his Son. Of the young prince.

"He is indeed a remarkable young cub…" He said. Simba smiled.

"Cub? Take a closer look… When I was a cub, I was dwarfed by a trio of Hyena's three times my size… He is nearly as big as _Asante, _if you look… Granted, she is a small specimen for a Hyena, but if I am not very much mistaken, Kiava is nearing adolescence…" He said. Kovu leaned down, and saw that the ghostly waterhole by which they stood opened not out into a pool of water but that the liquid rippled and shifted, showing shapes and images. The image before them now, was of Kiava… In the Process of beating a young Hyena senseless. Kovu blinked as Kiava dodged the blows of two Hyenas, causing them to crash into one another, before landing on the nape of a third, and begin to knock the creature out. He looked up at Simba who was grinning.

"Now _I _couldn't do _that _as a cub." Simba said. Kovu winced.

"I suspect we may have to thank your mother for that…" He said, looking at Nala. Nala shook her head.

"Oh Kovu… I told you she knew what she was doing… And you can't deny that it has worked, for the most part…" She pointed out. Kovu sighed.

"I know… I merely lament the necessity for such… brutality." He said. Simba nodded slowly. We all do, Kovu. We all do." The Water shifted again, and centered on the face of another. A much older lioness, whom Kovu recognized as his sister, Vitani. Her eyes were cold and distant. Kovu sighed when seeing her, and Simba nodded sympathetically.

"Your sister… Will she manage?"

"Vitani is far stronger than I ever was, Simba… But this latest tragerdy has hurt her deeply. I worry it will cause her to make mistakes… to become reckless."

"Let us hope not…" Simba said, as Inti and Koron stepped into the vision, speaking to Vitani, who listened carefully, and then nodded. Whatever had been said, Inti seemed satisfied by it, and departed, nodding his head at a a pair of Cheetahs, who stood up and followed him.

"Almasi's children seem to have adapted well…" Kovu observed. Simba winced at that.

"I wouldn't celebrate any event which forces a child to become a warrior or Warleader Kovu, no matter how remarkable… Though perhaps your perspective is different to mine… You did the same, as I recall…"

"Not as young… but yes." Kovu admitted.

The image beneath them shifted and pulsed yet again, and it showed the face of another young lion. This one was older than the cubs, seemingly an adolecesnt, though now the lion's mane was stretched fully around its face, in a rough circle, and extended back behind his neck. he was a young adult male lion, and Nala nodded upon seeing Danyal again. Simba smiled.

"I remember _this_ one. Seems he got his wish to fight after all… You knew the boy's mother, didn't you?" Simba said. Kovu nodded uncertainly.

"Yes… I knew _Kulana_ very well. She and I were very good friends… But she left about half a year before Zira put her plan into action… I never saw her again, until the day she returned to the Pridelands… The day she died. You never met her alive. Vitani knew her, but never seemed able to make up her mind as to wether she liked her or didn't…" Kovu said. Simba nodded.

"Either way, her son appears to be doing well for himself… and found himself a… companion… in the form of Sundar… Anyone have any idea what her powers represent, or what it can mean?" He asked. None of them said a word. The Darker lion who up till now had said nothing shook his head.

"We can't know… If it is important, it will reveal itself at a later date… For now, our biggest concern should be Kiava… And his… Plan."

"Taka's plan, you mean." Mufasa said, scowling. Kovu shrugged.

"It's entirely possible that the Hyenas will side with Kiava… We do not know how they will react to this. Scar seemed to think they could be convinced to do the right thing…"

"Scar has a blind spot when it comes to those creatures. I am not my father, I do not detest their very existence, but even I have cause for concern about their reliability. They could turn on Kiava at a moment's notice. They have before."

"Simba, as I recall, Scar turned on them…"

"Another reason for them not to trust Kiava. I think this ill advised…" Mufasa said. He looked at the darker lion, who still didn't betray any emotion or thought. "What about you, Tojo? You are probably the one lion besides Scar who ever trusted them…"

Tojo shifted.

"That's likely because I was the one lion besides Scar whom they ever liked." He paused.

"Shenzi and Banzai are not regular Hyenas. I recall the day they arrived in the Pridelands, and the days that followed. They _learnt _different ways of thinking. They were foolish, reckless, and easily manipulated to begin with, but they became cunning and dangerous as time went on. Traits that they learnt from Scar. Its possible, that if Kiava could instill them with some of _his _traits, the Hyenas could be persuaded to join forces with Kiava… Especially if he was able to help them against the Shai'tan. Amun's forces are pushing them to their very limit. Soon, they may be desperate enough to try anything, Simba. And that might include listening to and working with Kiava… But it might just as easily include killing him, or giving him to the Shai'tan. We can't know for certain which they would do…" He said. Kovu coughed.

"Father… Perhaps if you or Scar appeared to Shenzi… if you spoke to them." Mufasa shook his head.

"No! No, we can't intervene like that… I can tolerate Scar's interference with Kiava, so long as it is minimal and only in a guiding capacity. We can't directly influence events, and we can't appear to those that we knew personally. Scar never knew Kiava, and vice versa, but if people regularly began seeing the spirits of friends, or enemies, they were killed long ago, they would never be able to move on with their lives. Shenzi and Banzai were good friends with both of you. For you to interfere could be disastrous.

"Or it could go well."

"We have no way of knowing beforehand which it would it be. We can't risk it. We shall have to trust Kiava to manage this on his own, without hour influence. Hopefully… He can convince Shenzi… If not… I don't think out combined influence could help him get out of the Ivory Tower alive…" Mufasa said. Kovu sighed.

"Very well. Turning out attention to other matters." He waved his paw, and the pool shifted again. This time, it displayed no friends or lions or mortals of any kind. It merley showed the great cosmic depths of space. The Stars and lights which covered the sky. Clouds of gas and dust. The raging power of the stars glowing in their glorious light.

And behind them… something else.

It appeared to look like a cloud, or a swarm. A blackness. A darkness. A blight. And it was growing in size, covering the heavens, devouring stars and worlds. Kovu sighed when he saw it. A void. The destruction of the heavens.

"It's growing… It's not coming as fast now, but its growing still. As the Shai'tan's power grows, so does the blight in heaven. AS the Shai'tan kill, it is the heavens which die. I wonder if they knew the damage their action were having upon the heavens, would it slow their hatred, or hasten it? Either way, it confirms what we already know… As the Pridelands burn, so do the heavens… And we haven't stopped it yet." He said.

"We're holding it back… Keeping it at bay. But with each day, it takes more of our strength to withstand. Kiava's time is running out. Sooner or later, he must defeat the Emperor, or there may be nothing left." Nala added.

Simba sighed.

"Were the need not so desperate, I would rage at our actions, using a boy in such a way."

"If he can convince the Hyenas, he will have a far better chance at stopping this…" Tojo pointed out.

"But if he fails what then?" Mufasa asked.

Nobody answered. For no one had an answer.

* * *

**AN:**

**An interesting little segment, showing that the Spirits have indeed been looking and watching throughout the story so far. I hope you found it interesting. Now. Onwards, to the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 1 - Shadows and Dust

**"Morning all. Here is Chapter 1 of the next book of The Lion King Legacies.**

**Hello everyone. Welcome to the next book in Legacies! And the theme of this book will be… Secrets! Secrets and schemes and plans and conspiracies will be a running theme throughout this, such as training and growth were themes in the last book. Storm somehow managed to become the longest book I have ever written, surpassing even that of Judgement, by becoming 25 chapters long. Inferno, has been planned to reach 30 chapters in length. The final book in the series has not yet been plotted in detail, but will likely be 30 chapters, or longer, in length. Okay. So. You all know where we left off in the last book, and the Prologue, like last time, is intended to be interesting, but does not really move the plot forward.**

**The first few chapters of this book will be very quick, very fast paced, and very intense, and I am a little worried it will be a little jarring. This is because the next few chapters were intending to appear not at the beginning of this book, but at the end of the last, however, for space and plotting purposes, I decided to end the book with the Battle of the Glade, and the revelations concerning Marsade and Kufa.**

**I do think you shall enjoy this Chapter however.**

**Cheers: Haradion"**

**Author:** Nope, this is the penultimate story. There is a fifth story planned, in which everything explodes. The Lion Spirits are the most active in the Heavens, owing somewhat to their attitude in life... However, Zazu while he is fine and at peace - is not appearing in this story... Thanks for the review!

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**Chapter 1: Shadows and Dust**

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Kiava groaned. His head was killing him. It throbbed and pulsed. He clutched a paw to his head, and was unsurprised when he pulled it away and saw the red glisten of blood there. He had taken a serious blow to back of the skull. He tried to think back, to the moments before he had lost consciousness. He recalled… being confronted by a group of Hyenas upon approaching Carroscirr… He also recalled short skirmish which had broken out soon afterwards. He had refused to tell them of his mission… and they had… they had thought him a spy. The sudden appearance of Zuri had made them panic, and they had fought and then… Then it was blur. They had fought the Hyenas off… He had thought that they were winning. He remembered knocking out one of the leaders and speaking to the last Hyena.

Then the memories returned.

The leader of the Hyenas had possessed some form of magic… Some form of Shamanism. He groaned aloud.

"Ugh… That's not fair." He muttered. Zuri. Where was she? Where were the others?

He looked around in panic. He could see no one. In fact, it was very dark, and he guessed he was in some kind of cave, or cavern. Looking around he thought he could see a rocky wall face. But between him and the rest of the cavern, was the claustrophobic entrapment of bones. He guessed it was a rib cage of come description, forming a rough cage around him. A quick test of the bone's iron strength, told him was not escaping any time soon. Looking around, he found the entrance. The top half of the ribcage, where the spine would have gone, formed the front of the cell, and there, a second, lighter series of bones stood. He guessed that with enough strength, it could be moved away. But it was not something a single cub could do on his own. He growled in frustration.

"Hey, Boss! The boy-cub is awake!" A voice said. Kiava peered into the darkness, his eyes becoming adjusted to the gloom, and he could indeed make out a pair of eyes ahead of him. A guard or sentinel of some kind? It was joined a minute later by a second, familiar pair of eyes. It was the same female Hyena he had seen earlier. The one with the unearthly powers, and control of the winds. She looked at him coldly.

"Leave us, for the moment." She told the guard, who left quickly. Asante glared down at him.

"Where Am I?" Kiava asked. Asante didn't answer. He swallowed, and looked around. "Given the prevalent usage of bones, I'd hazard a guess that we are in the Elephant Graveyard, heart of the Shadowlands… And given the cavernous space… What would Vitani call it? _Subterranean._ Can I assume that I am in Carroscirr?" He asked. Asante smiled.

"You can assume whatever you like…" She said calmly. The young Hyena looked him up and down.

"Where are my friends?" Kiava asked. The Hyena paused.

"The monkey and meerkat are elsewhere… The Gorrila proved difficult to imprison, until we threatened to cut their throats. That shut it up… As for the other cub… Well…"

"If you've hurt her…"

"Oh, we haven't hurt her… Yet. Bhagari is of the opinion that you are spies, for the Shai'tan, trying to discover the pass way through the labyrinth… It's the only thing between us, and the Shai'tan… And it only remains secure, because we kill every spy they send snooping around to divine the correct route." She said. Kiava swallowed.

"I am not a spy."

"No… of course not. You are Kiava… Son of Kovu, Son of Kiara. It's a bold claim to make… Not having ever met either of them, I couldn't comment on the resemblance. But, I was in the Pridelands hunting on the day the Shai'tan burnt Pride Rock… Just a pup of course, but I was there. I watched Marsade burn Pride Rock, erasing every plant and animal from its surface. All that remains is a shadow. A Skeleton, the faint silhouette of a Great Rock, and piles and piles of ash and dust… Am I to believe that you escaped such a slaughter?"

"I am standing here…"

"Unless, you are merely an orphaned rouge lion cub, so desperate for protection that you'd invent a ludicrous story in order to survive. Were it not so grandiose, I'd commend its originality." Asante said scornfully. Kiava began to growl.

"Let me out of here, and I'll-"

Asante paced in front of him.

"You can offer no proof of your identity. I have half a mind to just leave you here… But we can't spare the meat right now… So." She said. She clicked her tongue, and several more Hyena's moved into view. Kiava didn't shrink back, but he did draw his claws. However, they moved not to attack, but to remove the block which barred his exit from the cell. Kiava stepped out gingerly.

"You made a speak with Shenzi, the leader of the Hyenas here… My mother has decided to grant that request…" She said, though her expression told him what she thought of that as a concept. Clearly she was unimpressed. Kiava however stopped and stared at her.

"Shenzi is your mother?" He asked in surprise. Asante laughed, as all Hyenas did, and it sent chills down Kiava's spine.

"You didn't know? I am Asante… Daughter of Shenzi and Banzai. Not as longwinded a title as "Flame of Pride Rock…" Perhaps "Storm of Carroscirr" is more suitable? She said sarcastically. Kiava stared at her for a moment. Then bowed his head.

"My apologies, your highness." She said. Asante stared at him in surprise, taken aback by the bow. Never in history, had a lion willingly bowed to a Hyena. The other Hyenas seemed likewise stunned and one of them almost choked. Asante coughed, now looking slightly awkward.

"Ummm… No worries?" She said, uncertainly. Kiava nodded and followed her from the cell.

He followed the Hyena's lead, down a long and twisted corridor. It confirms Kiava's guess that this was indeed Carroscirr. The darkened stone passageways were lined with ivory, elephant tusks, bones, teeth and horns, which glistened white. Several holes opened out onto open skyline, letting moonlight light the walkways. The Ivory glistened silver in the lunar light. Here and there were other Hyenas, some young, some old. They were all of the same clan as Asante, that was clear, the unmistakable spots that covered their rear and back gave that away in a heartbeat. They were of mixed gender, males and females, lying around here and there, in little enclaves. Some were alone, attempting to get some sleep in the busy area, others were gathered in families, resting next to partners and pups. Occasionally a raised voice would betray a laugh, or an argument. Some of them feasted on a leg of meat, though this was few and far between. The majority of the Hyenas looked underfed and malnourished. As they passed, reactions were different. Some viewed the young lion cub with curiosity, and surprise. Others reacted with a scowl or frown. A few leered at him directly, showing sharp pointed teeth as they did so, chuckling to one another as they did. Reaction was more pointed towards Asante. Hyenas moved out of the way as she approached, though they stumbled over one another in other places. Several gave nods of acknowledgement, even the occasionally smile of gratitude. They same was true of the Shadowpups themselves, the Hyenas who moved around them. They were, Kiava was beginning to realize, a sort of cross, between Asante's bodyguard, and her own private pack. Hyenas looked and gave them a measure of respect. If anything, the most was received from those who were fighters for this Hyena clan. Warriors and soldiers, marked by scars and injuries and limps and wounds. They gave the most pronounced movement, they smiled when they made eye contact. It was a mark of respect, camaraderie between fighters.

Kiava was forced to reassess the Shadowpups, as they had been nicknamed. They were without scars and injuries… But was that, he now wondered, simply because they had never been injured? Or because they were too good? And what did that make Asante, their leader?

* * *

far away from the Tower's base, out of sight from prying eyes and watchers, asmall green Serpent spoke to Amun in harsh disjointed hissing whisper. He listened carefully, before giving a huge grin.

"**_Well… It would seem there is a way through the Labyrinth after all! And they were foolish enough to reveal it without first checking for spies?" Amun asked, incredulous._**

"Several were injured my Lord… All were ssporting woundssssss of some description, and their leader looked about to lose consciousnessss… They were also dragging prisonersssss, their attention was diverted… This opertunity is unlikely to be repeated soon! So many factors… So many _weaknesssssessss… _They have made a mistake… We should strike now!" The Snake hissed. Amun nodded, cheerfully.

"**_Indeed, young snake. You have done very well!"_** He turned to Abyss.

"Ensure that this snake is given his own command… He is eager for battle, and has an eye for strategy." Then turning to the jackal at his other side, he grinned.

"**Sevear… Send in the first wave of our attack… Bring down this Tower!"**

* * *

Kiava and Asante made their way past the last of the Hyenas, (Kiava was unable to get a good enough look to even guess their numbers) the passageways began to open out, and the ground began to slant downwards, going deeper, deeper, not to the top of the tower as he would have guessed but down and deeper. And the light became less of the silvery grey he had seen above the ground, but a sickly, twisted green. The air became hotter too, despite the night's air. They came to the entrance of a tunnel, guarded by another pair of Hyenas. These were clearly veterans, older than Asante by some time, and pitted with war wounds. Asante passed them without comment, and Kiava followed.

Then the tunnel opened up into a great cavern. It was lit, not by the light of the moon, but by the green heat filled geysers which littered the room. In the center of the room, was pile of bones, legs, flanks, and skulls, piled into the center of the room. They were a polished ivory white, and cracked where the marrow had been sucked from them. At the very top of the pile, was an Elephant Skull. It towered over them, but it was only that of young elephant, and there, flopped in the middle where its truck would have been, sat an old Hyena. Her paws rested either side of the tusks which jutted out from either side of her. Next to her stood another Hyena, a male, who looked down the roughly made terrace She arched her neck when she saw Asante enter the room, but Kiava attention was immediately diverted by the familiar yellow form of a lioness cub at the foot of the dais. She was standing there, staring up at the Matriarch, but we was shaking slightly, clearly terrified. She turned and her face lit up when she saw Kiava.

"Zuri!" Kiava said, his face flooding with relief. Zuri opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of the cheiften Hyena's sharp voice.

"So! This is the fabled "King" of the Pridelands? A strange thing… I imagined you'd be taller…" She said. Then she stood up on her throne of skulls. "You were rather instant that you speak to me? I am Shenzi. Named by some as Shadowqueen, chieftain of these Hyenas's you see here…" She said. Kiava looked up at her, and then bowed his head.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." He said. If his bowing to Asante had caused a stir, it sent a murmur around the throne room of this bone palace as he did so now. Shenzi's eye narrowed, as if trying to decipher whether it was a mockery or not. She didn't say anything for a moment. Then she cleared her throat.

"I would not have expected such manners from a Lion, even in my own throne room…" She commented. Kiava cocked it head.

"I will be the first to admit that my ancestors were remiss in their dealings with the Hyenas… Motivated out of some long forgotten grieviance… My parents were murdered before they could share that particular prejudice with me…" He said carefully. Shenzi stared at him intently.

"You wished to speak to me… Speak then."

"I shall, but first I have a question… My friend, Zuri. Why is she here? Not that I want her gone, I am merely curious as to your reasons for summoning her before me." He said slowly. Shenzi smirked.

"It is a Hyena custom to perform dealings with the females _before _the males…" She admitted. Kiava nodded slowly, and Zuri smiled.

"And there was me, being led to believe Hyena's were _uncivilized." _She said.

There was deathly silence, throughout the throne room.

Then it erupted into laughter. Shenzi howled, and the gathered Hyena's in the throne room chorused with giggled. Smirking, Shenzi pointed a claw at Zuri.

"You are brave indeed to joke in front of Hyenas, girl. I like you're guts." She said.

"For breakfast or supper?" Kiava asked. Shenzi's mouth twitched, but she shook her head.

"Her's was better."

"They usually are." He cleared his throat. But the male next to Shenzi eyed him warily.

"What, might I ask, are too Lion cubs doing, employed as spies for the Shai'tan? Are you stupid, or under coercion? Your answer won't change our response, but it would make me sympathetic as I cut your throat." Banzai said. Kiava glanced at him warily.

"We are no spies… My Name is Kiava. I am the Son of Kovu, and Kiara, King and Queen of Pride Rock." Kiava said carefully. Shenzi nodded slowly.

"Your friend argued the same case…" She slowly walked down the steps towards Kiava. Kiava met her gaze and didn't flinch even as she approached him. Kiava heard Zuri hold her breath as she approached Kiava, extended a paw and grabbed his chin. She moved it roughly, and Kiava kept his gaze on her, as he did. Shenzi held it for a moment, before releasing him.

"I knew Kovu… For a very short time, when he was younger than you are now. Just a tiny brat he was… a very small bundle of fur. His parents had been killed by the River Lord, Sobek… I don't think its cowardice to say how pleased I am that I wasn't involved in _that _battle… Scar took him in… I'll admit you bear an uncanny resemblance to him… But you remind me more of Ahadi… than him. Same coat… Same fur." She shook her head. "I _hated _that lion… Egotistical, arrogant fool…" She shook her head again.

"Alright." Banzai said. "Let's just say, for a moment that we believed you… That you are indeed who you say you are… Then you are heir to Priderock and the Pridelands… You'd be far better off, seeking refuge in the Mountainlands, or the Southlands. Why come here, to the Elephant Graveyard?" He asked. Kiava blinked.

"I… I have come here with an offer." He decided the best option was to get it out in the open. Concealment and secrecy had nearly cost him at the border. "I am bringing an offer of Alliance, between myself, and you. Against the Shai'tan, and the Imperium. Against Emperor Ben-Kai-Ra." He said.

He expected there to be shouts of laughter. A chorus of giggles and laughter. Instead he received stoic silence. Shenzi's smirk vanished, and she became deadly serious once again.

"How many of you survived the attack on Pride Rock?"

"Eight". Kiava said without hesitation. Banzai interrupted.

"How many of those aren't cubs?" He asked. Kiava paused.

"Four." He admitted. "And one of them is an adolescent." he said.

"So Three." Banzai said. There was murmuring around them. Shenzi scowled.

"That's not much to offer us." Asante said for the first time, glaring at him. Kiava winced. That was of course the truth. If he had been offering this before the attack, then there might have been some incentive, but a ragtag group of survivors was far less use to the Hyenas that a fully sized Pride.

"It's better than no lionesses…" Kiava said. Shenzi scowled at then shook her head.

"No, Kiava. I disagree. I would say that _none,_ is by far the best number of lionesses to be fighting alongside with." She said. Banzai nodded in agreement.

"But-"

"Kiava, you forget! We had an alliance with a Lion once, before, and look where that landed us!" She growled. "You claim not to know the reason for the enmity between Lionesses and Hyenas? There are several events… But the most recent of which happened many years ago, when I was a very young Hyena…" She growled showing teeth. "I was young, foolish and reckless, I won't deny it. I lead my two comrades here on a hunt in the Pridelands. _Poaching_ you call it. We call it _eating_. We were caught, and Ahadi, such a noble and proud King, wanted me executed. Imagine that… A young girl, not even a fully grown Hyena, and adolescent, facing a death-sentence for stealing food… I was terrified. But I was spared that grisly fate by the Kings second Son… He went by a different name then – one lost to antiquity, but known by history as Scar." She said. Then she growled. "I became _devoted _to that lion, Kiava. Not only did her save our lives, but also secured for us the right to hunt in the Pridelands… It all came to a crashing when a fanatic by the name of _Caliban _abused such privilege, and murdered the Queen herself… An entire nation, a whole _Race, _was judged then and there on the actions of one fanatic! We are all exiled, then and there, on pain of death!" She said.

"That was wrong, what happened to you…" Kiava said, wincing at the injustice, which did seem archetypical of the earlier Kings.

"Oh but it gets better! See, We weren't the only ones to incur Ahadi's displeasure… he maimed and tortured his own Son for the part he played in her death, which was even less than out own… But we still threw in out lot with this King… King Scar. The only lioness who knew was Zira… Devilqueen, she became known as. Ah, but those two lions, those were good times…" She said. Kiava stood still, not daring to interrupt.

"There were bad times too… Horrific ones… But that is life, isn't it? Ups and downs? Except, here's the thing, Kiava… When Scar's reign comes crashing down, do you know what he does? He blames the whole thing, on us… _Everything, _Kiava. Including the atrocities he committed in his madness… _Everything!"_

"Scar left you in the lurche." Kiava said. Shenzi laughed.

"The King, whom we served our entire adult lives, tried to walk away on a road of our corpses… The same Hyenas which helped murder his father and brother, the ones who _gave _him power… Became another thing for him to sacrifice for his own skin… And when we took our vengeance for that? Zira, his mate, so recently exiled herself, drove us from our home… Zira, who's life I personally saved from _Bane_!" She said. Then she lowered her voice.

"So no, Kiava. Forgive me for sounding discourteous… Thanks, but No Thanks. We will survive this without the aid of any more lions, thank you very much. If you kill Amun? Break this siege? Defeat an army of jackals, Wilddogs and snakes, all by yourself? Then perhaps, we might be able to come to an arrangement… But for three Lionesses, and the vague promise of fighting together? I think Not, Kiava. We have been deceived before… we won't be again. We will not Trust the word of a Lion." Shenzi said firmly. There was a murmur of approval from around them as the Hyenas heard this. Zuri looked downcast, and Kiava looked angry but not surprised.

"Is my whole race to be judged, upon the actions of a fanatic?" He asked. There was another grumble now, at his impertinence, but Shenzi glared at him indignantly. Then she shook her head, and waved a paw.

"I'll agree that you are not a Shai'tan Spy. And for your manners and diplomacy, go with peace between us... You are to be given free passage from Carroscirr to the Shadowlands. After that you are on your own. I wish you luck in your own quest, Pridelander. But wishes are all I have to give you." She said. Kiava sighed, defeated. He would need to find some other group. Some other fighters… Perhaps he could still use the Hyenas to keep Amun out of his hair until he had the strength to face him – then perhaps, he could defeat the Shai'tan, and earn their trust and respect. But as it was, it was clearly futile to-.

A loud roar echoed throughout the bowls of Carroscirr.

"What in the…" Asante began.

And with a huge roar, a pack of Wilddogs burst through the tunnel. A pair of teeth closed around the first sentinels neck, ripping his throat out. The second went down under a rain of blows.

Asante was the first to react, giving commands quickly, as the surrounding Hyenas gathered around the throne. Banzai was next, leaping from the great height to land atop a Jackal, and biting into its spine.

"HOLD! The Labyrinth is Breached! It's Breached!" Asante shouted, quickly, as shouts of alarm began to fill the air. The Ivory tower was under attack… And the tunnels were breached. More and more Wilddogs began to pour.

Amun's booming laughter could be heard throughout the tunnels. At last! At last the Hyenas had nowhere left to run! Nowhere to hide, not way to slink away and attack again. They were surrounded. Soon enough, they would begin the slaughter…

Carroscirr, would fall.

* * *

**AN:**

**There we go, ladies and gentlemen! A new Prologue and a new chapter, all in the same day!**

**What do you guys think of Shenzi and Banzai?**

**My interpretation, is the growth present in them from the beginning of the first movie, to end, continued. They are not geniuses, but significantly above average Hyena intelligence, and very dangerous. Skillful fighters and leaders.**

**Also, I am trying out a new system. Where as in the last three books, I always ensure that each chapter was dedicated to only a single Viewpoint character, there will be points in this book, where it will flip to a second viewpoint character, even when they are not in the same events, or focusing on the same issues. This is a spacing issue, since otherwise, things get messy. I think you will like it.**

**There will also be no song chapters, since no one commented on them last time; I gather them to be of minimum interest.**

**As ever, please, leave a review, and as always, have a nice day.**

**P.S. A quick shout out to anyone who got exam results… Good work, everyone!**

**Haradion**


	3. Chapter 2 - Imperial Policy

**"Morning all. Here is Chapter 2.**

**And here is out first look at Castella-Ra, our villainess' viewpoint character. This was a challenge to write, since I don't have a very good feel for the character yet... But I think you will find it interesting.**

**Cheers: Haradion"**

* * *

**LoveNeverDies8:** Maybe... But on the other hand, if enough of them are killed in the fighting, then it may be for nothing. Even if the Cubs escape... There is no telling if this will motivate the Hyenas into an alliance... It could just as easily convince them of the necessity to defend their own borders... You seem rather bloodthirsty... whom to you think is the most likley to get the chop? Kiava, Zuri, Bruce, Ookai or Buzz? If - as you think - one of them is likely to be killed? I am curious...

**sandydragon: **True. Shenzi is a smart one. And dangerous as well, lets not forget. The Hyena's do know the terrain very well, that is true, but the Wilddogs have the element of surprise, and control of the exits, lets not forget... This could be a close call.

**Author:** Ed it around an about - just not in the throne room at the moment. Don't worry, you'll be seeing a little more of him alter. Thanks for the review, and the kind words. Can't say I am a fan of the Sponge, it has to be said... I think I get what you are talking about...

* * *

**Chapter 2: Imperial Policy**

* * *

Castella-Ra paced along the halls of Golgorath. She kept her claws tightly sheathed as she moved along the dusty red floor of the termite mounds, preferring to move quietly when possible, a hallmark of her cubhood, no doubt. She was beginning to grow accustomed to the wasteland of the Outlands now, after several days within them. The Heat was not nearly as intense as some parts of the Imperium whilst there were termite mounds over her head, and the shade made a decent den. Apparently, there had used to be a problem with termites themselves in the area, but Marsade had purged the area with sorcery and flame so that now, dust and sand were all that clinged to her fur. A Wilddog passed in front of her, then shrank away when he saw her approach. Curious, she held out a paw.

"**_You. Stop a moment. Whoa are you?"_** She asked the dog. The mammal flinched, but turned around and faced her.

"My name is Harrin, my lady."

"**_You are one of the wilddogs' commanders, aren't you?"_** She asked him. Harrin nodded.

"Third-Pack Leader, under Lord Mortread, formerly under Lord Rish'ut, formerly under Lady Sekmet." He said. Castella's mouth twitched.

"**_You've outlived two Shai'tan then… Congratulations. You must be a mighty warrior, or skilled tactician, Harrin."_**

"Forgive me, my lady, but I am neither. I seem to have the fortune to be in the right place, at the right time, is all…" He said. Castella nodded.

"**_As do I, Commander Harrin, as do I. What are you doing at the moment?"_** She asked him. The dog hesitated.

"I am seeking several of my packmates. They didn't report for duty this morning. Some confusion over the allocation of patrols, I suspect…" He held her gaze for a moment. "They appear to have made a mistake, my lady, but I have always known them to be hardworking and loyal soldiers…" he said. Castella started, realizing that Harrin expected her to be angry at his soldier's incompetence. And true, had she been Rish'ut or Amun, or even Asamode, she might have. Mortread, she knew, would have investigated the reasons for their absence personally, and weighed it against their previous service. And only then, pronounced judgement. Was it mere mercy? Or some deeper strategic motivation? She never knew, and for herself, she had never asked. It was merely a part of his character.

"**_Far be it for me, to interfere with Mortread's troops, Harrin. Go on your way." _**She told him. The dog nodded, gratefully, and left her presence. She watched him go, and then turned away. It was becoming more obvious of late, that the majority of the dogs and jackals suffered when on mundane duties for too long. They were fine trackers and fighters, but guard duty, border patrols and other such work seemed to chaff them to the point that they became useless. Asamode's suggested solution had been to execute every dog which lapse. Mortread's had been to organize more hunts.

It seemed that they had an endless supply of targets. The Slaves, the lionesses, the Asiatics Asamode had reported, and Prince Kiava, were all missing. The trouble was, as far as they knew, they were all gathered in the same place. Although that gave them some small advantage, it also made finding them a more fruitless endeavour.

Finishing her journey, she arrived at her destination. The tallest of the Towers of Golgorath. She climbed through the narrow entrance way, and found herself on the delicate walkway around the edges of the highest Spire. The Height was dizzying. Far below, she could see Jackals, Wilddogs, and others creatures around the base of Spire. They looked, like termites to her here. Moving around below her, beneath her. The wind was far more powerful her, and a gust jarred her back to earth. Settling her feet, she moved along, and saw, (true to form: directly at the very edge of the tower) her father. The Emperor Ben-Kai-Ra, stood there surveying his dominion with dark eyes. She cleared her throat, but if he was surprised by her presence, he didn't flinch. Without turning around, he inclined his head.

"**_Daughter… Why have you come here?"_**

"**_You haven't been inclined to speak with me."_** She told him. Still he didn't turn around. **_"Have I done something wrong?"_** She asked. He laughed.

"**_If you, had be sure, we would have spoken far sooner."_** He said. She relaxed, slightly.

"**_So why the silence?"_** She asked.

"**_I have been diverted of late, by other matters."_** He said, calmly. She nodded in understanding.

"**_You mean the Lions? Its unsurprising. When we invade another's territory, they are bound to resist…"_**

"**_It is there persistence, rather than their resistance which diverts my attention, Castella… And their resourcefulness. To attack here? In Golgorath, seems to begger belief… And it bothers me that their Prince survived."_**

"**_What use is a cub, to them?" _**She asked him.

"**_The cub is a symbol, around who they could gather allies… Without him, they are merely rebels, traitors and insurgents. With him, they are freedom fighters, warriors of the light."_**He said with distaste.

"**_They can be crushed, soon enough, if necessary. Or they can dwindle to nothingness. All of the continents resisted, at frst. Eventually, they all recalled that peace, was preferable to war, no matter who their rulers where. Many came to thank their new rulers, for the law and order imposed upon their lives... When I departed Oceanica, I was begged not to leave by its regents... They wished me to stay, and continue my rule there..."_**

"**_I've heard it said that you were a popular ruler, there?"_** Her father asked her. She smiled.

"**_With most of the enemy fighters captured or killed, all that was left was to organise the survivors... Several of them noticed a significant improvement to their lives... Apparently, their rulers were not particularly fond of justice there... A creatures place was dicated by their position in the food chain... A law was in place, that no creature could commit a crime against a creature who fed on it. There was no such thing as murder, even among allies, if one could best then swallow a mouthful of flesh from their victim... Despicable."_**

"**_I am curious... How did you resolve that custom_**?" Her father asked. She smiled.

"**_I put a mosquito in charge for a month. After anarchy had set in for several weeks, I de posed the unfortunate insect, and modified the law... They were more than happy to comply."_**

"**_Ingenius... But I am afraid a similar trick will not work here... The Pridelands will prove much harder to conquer... And they must be mine, Castella, they _****must****_."_** He said. Castella watched him for a moment, then finally decided to ask him something.

"**_Why do these lands mean so much to you, father?"_**

"**_These lands... Are our home."_** he said. Castella cocked her head.

"**_You mean before the Imperium?_**" She asked. He nodded.

"**_Tell me... How much do you really know of our history? I focused your education on practical things for a purpose, and I may have neglected parts of it..."_**

"**_I know enough..."_** She told him. He smirked.

"**_Ah... So you know of how we ended up in Asiatica? A great many years ago, generations and generations ago... We lived here... In Africa... Alongside the Lions and the Cheetahs, and the Leopards, and the other felines... There was a delicate union among the clans, as you know... But we were never quite trusted by the other races. We are honest with ourselves, and others. What we wanted we took, what we desired, we fought for, and what we couldn't defend, we lost. We didn't seek to pervert nature around to suit us... We swam in the current of life, not trying to warp it into something we were not... So when the time came to select a leader, the others were all terrified of us... and decided that we were untrustworthy... Reckless... That we would abuse our power... In short, they were frightened of us – and rather than seek to make themselves stronger, they worked to shackle us... to bind us to their way of thinking... After countless generations... it was Shein-Su who decided: "No More." He rose up against the tyrants, and gatherer a clan, a pride, a leap, whatever you want to call it... Shein's Hundred, by some, though in truth it was slightly more... The Tiger's who rose up. The Original Shai'tan."_** He told her. Castella nodded. She knew the story – but knew no one who could tell it like her father… to make the listener feel every heartbeat, to think one was actually there… **_"They fought their way across Africa, to the Throne, where he intended to defeat the High-King himself, and begin a new reign… There was a great battle here…"_**

"**_Here? In the Outlands?"_**

"**_Here… and in the Shadowlands… and in the Pridelands… though they were all considered one territory, at the time. But we were defeated…"_**

"**_By the Lion-Kings?"_**

"**_No! The Original Shai'tan would have crushed them, had they managed to make it to Crown Rock. They were halted, before they ever reached the Throne. We were defeated, by the Shaman… That day… The sky blazed with white light, and the world turned to ash! Over a hundred souls killed in a second by a light brighter than the sun… a blast that seared the air and poisoned the ground… His task was never accomplished… That is why we are dedicated to this quest, Castella… We are finishing what Shein-Su Started… What he started the day he cast aside his old name and became Emperor Shan-Al-Kir! And this time… The Shaman are powerless… because we have one of our own…"_**

"**_You make it sound like you want to deal with lions as quickly as possible."_** She suggested. The Emperor nodded.

"**_Undoubtedly. The Question is how to do it… They are resourceful, and organized. Weak, yes, but also fluid, like liquid. Water doesn't need to be strong in order to resist being pulverized… It merely has to be itself…"_**

"**_Simply send one of you trusted servants, give them a battalion of fighters, and have them seek out and kill the dissenters."_** She suggested. The Emperor arched an eyebrow.

"**_What strategic genius. Unfortunately, I have attempted this twice, with two of the strongest amoung us. Both of them failed. One I could believe was incompetence, but two is a pattern, and I will not risk a third… There is no need to repeat past mistakes."_** He said. Castella sat down, thoughtfully.

"**_Sekmet was a fool. An arrogant, feebleminded fool who couldn't keep in check her own emotions. She was ruled by her anger and fear and hatred and she lost her fights because of that."_** Castella said. Ben-Kai-Ra growled.

"**_Be careful how you speak of the Fallen, daughter. She was a Shai'tan. One of us. Her death must be avenged, not mocked." _**He warned her. Castella took a step back.

"**_My apologies. But it must be said that she didn't suit the task she was set. And Rish'ut was wounded, and had a personal grievance against half of the parties involved. He never would have stood a chance."_** She told him. The emperor growled softly.

"**_Why do you list their faults? Are you going somewhere with this_**?" he asked her.

"**_I merely think you are too swift to dismiss the simplest option, when it has yet to have been used to full effect."_** She told him. The Emperor laughed.

"**_Very bold, to call me hasty. What then is your suggestion? Don't tell me you want to lead them in this hunt? I thought we got over that in your adolescent years…" _**He said. Castella smiled. She had his interest now.

"**_Not I, father. Mortread."_**

"**_Mortread? He has already proven his incompetence…"_**

"**_One could make the argument that he was held back by inferior superiors." She said. Then catching her father's frown, she clarified. "Rish'ut, father. Rish'ut."_** She said. The Emperor paused, thoughtful.

"**_It could be construed to be lapse in Rish'ut's judgement, true. But what makes you think he would fare any better than his predecessors?"_**

"**_Father, please. Whilst Mortread doesn't share Sekmet's brute strength, he is a tactical genius, as well you know. He is also a skilled fighter, and he commands the respect and obedience of his underlings through more than threats of summarily execution, so they are known to keep their nerve under pressure. He is also possibly the finest tracker among the Shai'tan – even your own skills are second in that regard. He is perfect for this mission. Honestly father, I don't know why you haven't already –"_**

"**_Enough."_** He said, and she fell silent. She turned to her now for the first time, and she took a small step back out of pure habit as his fiery gaze fell upon her. The Emperor stared at her, his immense size and silhouette casting a shadow around him that dwarfed her own.

"**_Father..."_**

"**_Be silent."_** He told her, and she froze.**_ "You think Mortread is the most suitable for this task? Let me tell you why, Castella. It is because he is unreliable and has already failed once in retrieving the slaves as they departed the tower. He had his chance in this mission, when he was right atop of them and when had every solider we possess in his paw. He failed then. And I have seen nothing to convince me that now would be any different. Why waste energy and effort on a flawed tool?" _**He asked her. Castella swallowed, wondering if she dared go this far.

"**_How else can he prove himself reliable again? And let it be known, whilst he did fail in his task to recapture the cubs, he did defeat Khunm! A River Lord, of the Great River. A Scion of Sobek the Black, if I am not mistaken… A River Lord which Rish'ut apparently had no idea was even there, right under his very nose… Where it not for that oversight, there is every possibility he would have succeeded. Yet, far from being deterred by this, he defeated the reptile, and killed it. He even won a scar on his stomach, on the right for his troubles. Those are not the actions of a flawed tool, father… I urge you not to let your Pride allow you to make a more costly decision."_** She said, choosing her words carefully.

The Emperor stared at her, then laughed, his voice booming around Golgorath.

"**_Ah… Castella-Ra… If only the rest of my court had the courage to argue with me… If only you had been born a male – What an Emperor you would have made… What a Shai'tan." Chuckling, though his daughter flushed, he waved a paw. "Very well, daughter. You've convinced me. I shall inform Mortread of my… of our decision, at dawn tomorrow. Well done."_** As she turned to leave, he paused though.

"**_One thing, Castella… One question. How did you know Mortread has a Scar on his belly? It's not very visible…"_** He said. Castella didn't hesitate an inch.

"**_I spoke with one of his commanders. Harrin his name was. Commendable fellow – worth keeping an eye on."_** She said without flinching, all the while keeping her face straight, and making eye contact. There was no bead of sweat, not faint twitch. She lied as easily as breathing. Her father nodded.

"**_Of course… Getting to know the troops."_**

"**_Precisely."_** She lied. She turned away, and not another word was said between them. She was her father's daughter, after all.

* * *

**AN:**

**So, that was our first look at ****Castella-Ra. And a look at the villains motives. What did you think of her? She is a skilled ruler and administrator, and her role appear to be to calm down territories after they are conquered. She is a master of diplomacy, manipulation, and lying, as you can see, even against her own father. She's engineered a way for her lover to prove himself again…**

**We also said hello to Harrin for a bit there... He's back in action now, and we might be seeing more of him, now we have a viewpoint character in the Imperial camp.**

**Just setting the stage in this scene here, building up on some things for later on. ****Things should really kick off in the next chapter, when we return to Kiava and his mammoth of a task in the elephant graveyard (See what I did there?) and the battle taking place there…**

**Haradion**


	4. Chapter 3 - Bones, Blood and Betrayal

**"Hello Everyone. Sorry for the delay getting back to you all. Its been a struggle, lots of other things going on, I've been extremely busy. Eventually however, things have calmed down, and I managed to knuckle down and finish this chapter for you. I have also had to find a substitute for Microsoft Word, to use as my word processor. I was using GoogleDocs, but have started to use "Open Office" instead, which is an open source Office package. I believe its also completely code able, if you can program, and can add your own stuff. Would love a live Wordcount, but hey.**

**Cheers: Haradion"**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bones, Blood and Betrayal**

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"Kiava! Look out!" Zuri shouted, as a wilddog dived towards Kiava. The Young cub twisted instantly and unsheathed his claws in a fluid motion, which ended with the Dog's loud shouts of pain. It growled for a moment, and leapt again, but Kiava sidestepped the blow, and then clawed upwards, carving into the canine's flesh and latching to his lower breast. A sharp bite forward later, and the Dog collapsed to the ground, its precious life blood flowing from a grievous wound to the throat. Kiava spat out the blood and growled softly. Around him, the other Hyenas were beginning to recover from their surprise, and the snarling and yapping of the Hyenas clashing with the dogs echoed around the under carven, the stone walls reverberating with the yells and cries of battle, the shrieks of pain and war-cries. A while ago, Kiava would have been terrified, but now, now he was confident and quick to act, taught and ready for battle. He roared loudly, and leapt towards Zuri.

The lioness was in a battle of her own, holding off not one but two opponents at the same time, who snapped and bit forwards, alternating. She swiped at one and moved to the other before it even began retreating, and Kiava was stuck again at how quickly she adapted to different situation. They had not even begun learning to handle multiple foes with their lessons with Sarafina, but already she was past that point. Arriving to assist, he leapt atop one who had his back to him, and clawed into his back. With the one distracted, Zuri was able to focus her attentions on her remaining enemy. She attacked quickly, and decisively. Caught off guard, her opponent struggled briefly, and then fell to a fury of blows and slices. The scent of blood filled the air, as the he chaos began to subside, and rather than the intermingled duels and conflicts, allies began to form lines, rows together to protect flanks. Within minutes, they would be fully formed lines of battle, and they would be drawn into a protracted battle, rather than a swift skirmish. Roaring defiantly, Kiava mounted another pile of half-eaten bones that seemed to litter Carroscir.

"Don't let them close ranks! Asante, Zuri! With me!" And without checking to see if he was followed (and equally resisting the childish temptation to scream 'charge!' at the top of his lungs) he dived straight into the ranks of the oncoming wilddogs, piercing their lines, and surrounding himself with enemies. It would prevent them from banding together, keeping them isolated and alone in the face of an enemy. It would also likely get him killed. With a yell, he attacked another wilddog, who's expression of bitter fury was replaced by one of incredulity and surprise as he faced an attack from the side from an unlikely opponent.

It was a strange thing... For many years of his life, Kiava he been chased, hunted, forced into exile almost, by the legions of wilddogs and others commanded by the Shai'tan. Now, he felt as though he were the one in command, as though he were the one dictating his own destiny. It felt good, even though he knew it was reckless, to charge headlong into the army of dogs who wanted him dead.

Asante watched in cold horror and dread as more and more dogs poured into her parents throne room. How had they made their way through the labyrinth fast enough to evade detection? They would have needed to overwhelm all of the dozen guards throughout the twisted pathways – which would have meant making it all the way through without one wrong turn. The odds of coming across such a route, by pure chance were astronomical! Then a cold sickness hit her – as if she had been punched in the stomach. They must have been followed back through the labyrinth, then informed the Shai'tan. The Shai'tan had tried such a trick before, but they had always taken precautions against being traced by making false turns, always cutting off tails before they were followed to anywhere important... But the last time they had dared ventured outside, when she had unleashed her powers against Kiava, she had been so exhausted... they had dragged the captured animals back to the cells with all their haste, and had neglected to take the same paths back... Could it be possible that they had unwittingly lead them all the way back to their home? The realisation struck her so cold, it was only as Kiava screamed "Asante! With me!" That she was snapped to her sense. She cursed. What in the world was the cub doing? As she watched he dived into the attacking dogs.

"You're mad!" She gasped in horror. Then cursing again, she followed him. If she didn't they would be killed in seconds.

The three of them fought back to back as the endless hordes of dogs moved into the room.

"There are too many of them!" Zuri shouted over the din. Kiava ground his teeth. She was right. There were too many of them to count. The Hyenas numbered in their dozens, but cut off and surrounded in the throne room, they were going to be overran soon enough. Kiava struck out at another wilddog, but the dog was prepared and darted away, before returning strike with a bite that narrowly missed Kiava by an inch. Asante growled.

"Shadowpups! Form up! Get together and stay together - guard the Matriarch!" But Shenzi did appear to need protecting. The old Hyena had risen to her feet, as was as much a part of the battle as her mate and daughter, striking left and right out at the oncoming Wilddogs.

"We can't stay here! We'll be surrounded and killed if we do. Keep moving – we need to push out of the Throne Room!" Banzai shouted over the chaos. The Hyenas responded with such ferocity and such enthusiasm, that the wilddogs were briefly pushed back and away from the fighters. Kiava took the opportunity to slice into another wilddogs flank, before withdrawing alongside the matriarch. The fighting continued and Kiava slashed his way through the wilddogs. Blood sprayed and filled the air once more... The battle began to slow now, becoming much more practised – the blood-lust and element of surprise had been expended and now the lines were coming together. Taking a moment, he looked at where the lines moved and seethed, and suddenly, he could _see _the two groups of Hyenas and Wilddogs were not a collection of lives, they seemed to move as single organisms, and for a moment he could see the parties for what they were... The Hyenas and The Wilddogs, fighting as two evenly matched creatures would... Shocked for a moment at his own insight, he blinked and forced himself to concentrate, taking advantage of the pause in the fighting to speak to the Matriarch.

"Where is the most secure part of Carrocscirr?" He asked her. Shenzi hesitated.

"The north dungeons have only one entrance from above, and have a number of tunnels that come out on the northern side of Carrocscirr. If the Dog's are following your scent through the labyrinth, they are coming from the southern side, it should be secure." She told him, while Banzai and Zuri defended the leaders, keeping them at bay.

"Mother, we can't abandon Carrocscirr!" Asante protested. Ignoring her, Kiava stared at Shenzi in shock.

"The _north_ dungeons? Is that where my friends are?" Kiava asked, sounding shocked. Asante nodded, and Zuri gasped.

"We have to go there than, or they'll all be slaughtered."

"We have Hyenas down there too, the lion cub is right! We need to leave here and reinforce the northern caverns... We can abandon the tower itself if we need to, and lurk within the tunnels... They open out into the ash plains as well, if we are forced to retreat."

"Retreat form Carrocscirr? We can't abandon the Ivory Tower!" Asante said, sounding frustrated.

"Carrocscirr may have fallen already." Banzai told her briskly. Kiava nodded in agreement.

"If we're going to survive this, we need to unite with the other Hyenas throughout Carrocscirr, and we can't afford to stay trapped here!" He warned her. Asante held his gaze for a moment.

"I am not losing my home for you!" Asante said, sounding angry.

"You're home is already lost, its as gone as Pride Rock! Don't lose your life as well!" He told her sharply. Then, without waiting for a response, drew himself up, and spoke to Bhagari, who was starting nearby.

"How many Hyenas do we have left?" he asked sharply.

"Not many... But there was barley a pack in the throne room – we don't stand on ceremony in Carocscirr..."

"So you have enough to break through the wilddog lines until then?" He asked. Bhagari nodded.

"Get past them? Perhaps... Beat them though... It seems unlikely." He said. Kiava nodded.

"We don't need to. We need to fall back and regroup. The commotion will attract the rest of the Hyenas... We need to be outside and organised when that happens, not trapped in here... Shenzi..."

"Even if we escape, we'll be slaughtered out there... Without the carverns to protect us and the labyrinth to waylay the enemy, we won't stand a chance against the Shai'tan. Amun will bring the full force of his dogs down upon us and we'll be destroyed as thoroughly as the Lion kings were!"

"The Lion Kings aren't dead. Not by a long shot." Zuri interrupted. Shenzi looked from her to Kiava, looking shocked and frustrated and angry and a dozen other emotions that Kiava recognised. Were it not for the desperate battle around them, he would have felt sympathy for the matriarch. Instead, he growled.

"I need you to trust me." He said.

Amun moved through the maze of passages and walkways. At last his spies had found a way to move through Carroscirr. The Hyenas scent was everywhere, but there was a new taste to it... a familiar scent of... something... it was familiar, but yet not quite what he was used to. He would figure it out at his measure shortly. Ahead of him, the first wave of wilddogs were moving through the tower butchering and killing as they did. Surprised and unaware, many of the Hyenas were asleep, eating, or lying on the ground surrounded by their young ones. It made them easier to kill. The massacre was total. Occasionally, one of the Hyenas would make a desperate leap at him. He simply move sharply to one side and struck out with a single paw. His claws would penetrate flesh and muscle, and slash away the unfortunate victim's life in a single vicious swipe. Then he would continue his march.

The Hyenas were, in many ways, like their cousins, the wilddogs... Or perhaps, closer to the jackals. The canines fought well as a group, but were easily frightened and lacked the strength to do any real damage when isolated... They were pack creatures, and together their threat increased exponentially. He had heard of the creature felling mighty kings together when they had the opportunity, and inclination to combine their efforts and wills to the task... He had seen the affects their fighting had had on his troops...

Which was of course, why he had taken the smarter plan and attacked them when they thought that they were safe. It had, like all of his plans, succeeded wonderfully. Amun moved with the comfortable ease of a natural predator – a natural killer. The tunnels twisted and moved as he paced. Eventually, he found he had caught up with the remaining wilddogs, and sniffed.

"_**What is the hold up?" **_He asked the lead wilddog in charge. The Dog's head jerked sharply at hearing his master's voice, before nodding.

"We've reached the throne room easy enough, but the passageway is only three dogs wide. The area is under attack."

"_**You've separated your forces?"**_

_** "**_We sent the greater part of our troops throughout the tower to make the most of our surprise attack... The rest are here, trying to break their lines... we believe their rulers are inside and didn't want to waste the opportunity." The dog explained. Amun thought for a moment, before giving a smile.

"_**You've done well my friend. The Imperium needs more competent commanders such as yourself... Good work." **_He said. Then he bellowed a roar. "_**Attack them! Wipe them out!" **_He howled. Invigorated, the wilddogs surged forward and struck at the opening again. Several charged through only to be cut down, and their companions continued the charge over their corpses. Suddenly however, there was a change in the flow of the battle. A faint lull, and then an explosion of energy. The Wilddogs were thrown backwards as an almighty blast of air ripped through the tower, sending the dogs flying. Then, from out of the throne room, the Hyenas surged forwards, a collective wave of fur and tooth. They swarmed over the Wilddogs like army ants, and then made their escape, travelling not towards the entrance where the rest of the dogs lay in waiting, but deeper down into more of the tunnels. Amun swore. Entrapped, they were easy to take down, but he was loath to allow them to start another guerrilla war on his troops by hiding in the tunnels. Before he could issue the order to cut them off, they had passed him, and another surge of wind struck him. He ground his claws into the ground fighting the pull of the air, and braced the howling winds. They only lasted a few seconds.

His mind twisted at the possibilities. And then he saw her. _Asante _his spies called her... The leader of several of the Hyena's most vicious animals and the daughter of the their leaders. The hyena ran ahead, and for a moment, her eyes – black like all of the hyenas, seem to light up with a blinding white light and the spell of mint leaves filled the air as a turbulent blast of wind struck for a third time. Amun was no expert on the shamanistic mysteries, but he was a devious thinker, and he had spent more than enough time with Marsade to regognize a shaman when he saw one. He cursed, and withdrew silently. The hyena looked exhausted... and after only three generic bursts of wind? Perhaps she was not as powerful as Marsade? He was not willing to gamble however, and quietley, he withdrew from the battle, nodding to the wilddog's commander as he did so.

_**"Get after them... But beware the leader..." **_He warned him. The dog nodded. Suddenly, Amun's attention was diverted, but a sudden spark of colour amidst the dark grey and blacks of the Hyenas and dogs coats. A jet of light in the tower made of ash and dust and ivory and bone. Two specks of gold. He was so taken aback by the sudden appearance of the two lion cubs, he was unable to say a word and unable to issue any commands once again. The sight of them were unmistakeable. They were lion cubs. And what were the odds that these lion cubs were just rouges, passing through the shadowlands, out for a leisure stroll past river lord invested waters, swamplands, and into the ashy plains of Carroscirr, ignoring seismic instability and thermal emissions through the war-torn and ravaged wasteland that made up the Hyenas's borders? The odds were _small; _it had to be said.

He smiled softly. The victory over the Pridelands would be in his paws... And after Sekmets and Rish'uts persistent failures, he had no doubt that he would be rewarded for it.

"Asante, that was fantastic!" Kiava told her as they ran. Shenzi smiled at the compliment.

"You see, Lion King? Imagine if we had out daughter on our side during Scar's reign! None of the catastrophe would have happened... She could have killed _Sobek _for a start, and saved the land from drought!" She said proudly.

"Lets just focus on saving ourselves _now _shall we?" Banzai suggested. The grisseled male move throughout the passageway without a hint of hesitation, knowing precisly where he was goinging. He lead the pack of Hyenas and lion cubs out of the throne room and they soon lost the persuing wilddogs. The sounds behind them faded, but the sounds of battle ahead only increased. Shenzi cursed.

"They've sent troops ahead of us... we won't have time to rest! Asante, so you have any energy left?" She asked her daughter. The hyena nodded.

"To fight, yes, but not to use those gifts again... Whatever they are, they take a hell out of me..." She panted. Kiava blinked in surprise. She didn't even know what they were herself? There was no time to argue further, as soon enough they crashed through the tunels which opened out into a deeper cavernous space.

_"Come on ya filthy muts! Just try it! Just try it!"_ A voice shouted over the din. It was Ookai. He was wielding an elephant tusk like a polearm. Kiava had seen Rafiki fight with his staff, and Ookai fought nothing like that. He was brutal and untrained and did not waste his time with elegant twirls or spins. He simply clubbed any dog who got close in the face. His eyes lit up when Kiava entered the room, followed by Asante her mother.

"Ah! The lion, the witch and the matriarch! Splendid. Perhaps someone can explain to me what the hell is going on?" He shouted. Kiava leapt over the heads of the wilddogs and struck out. Suddenly surrounded the Hyenas quickly made short work of the wilddogs. Kiava spat out blood and nodded.

"Amun is here... I think I saw back there for a moment. He's launched an attack on the tower."

"Its makes sense. You scent is different to any of the canines, he'd easily pick it out against the smell of the Hyenas and would navigate the path with ease..." Buzz said. He held a blood soaked javelin in his hands, covered in blood up to his elbows. He shuddered.

"I know I said I hate hyenas but I am starting to _despise _wilddogs – wait, did you say Amun was here?!" he said in panic. The Hyenas began to mutter among themselves, sounding disheartened.

"Quiet!" Kiava shouted, turning back to Ookai. Zuri cut the throat of a Wilddog who was writhing on the floor, before licking away the blood and padding next to Kiava. "Zuri – take two Hyenas and get down that tunnel. If anything comes down it, get your arse back here _don't _try to engage them." She nodded and disappeared down the tunnel. "Where is Bruce?" He asked, feeling more comfortable now he had a better control of the situation.

"Right here..." the Gorilla said, trying not to look at the gore around him. Ookai patted his friend on the shoulder.

"You did great work, old fella." He said. Bruce still slumped.

"He leapt at me... So I hit him... he snapped..." He said, shaking. Kiava winced, looking at the gentle giant.

"Never mind that Bruce... I am just glad you are safe." He looked around. "Are these all the Hyenas we have left?" He asked. An older Hyena, one who had been leading the Hyenas in the cavernous space when they arrived made several yapping sounds. Banzai looked at him slowly and nodded.

"Well done Ed... Ed says that they sent as many of the Hyenas out of the tunnels ahead of them and then tried to hold off the dogs that came down the hallway you just came through. A good portion of the fighters went to protect the pups and the non-fighters who went first. He thought that it would be better to try to hold them off as long as possible while they evacuated." He said. Ed yelped some more, and Banzai smiled. "He's also very glad to see we're still alive." He said. Kiava only blinked. Then he nodded.

"Does he..."

"He don't talk much." Banzai said – as if that cleared everything up.

"So anyone who hasn't made it out of the tower already is dead, or is about to die any moment, with no chance of rescue." Shenzi said. She sighed but Banzai nodded.

"If we want to live, we need to get out of here _now_ and join with the other survivors. We should be able to trace them down the same tunnel." Buzz said. Then he cocked his head. "Did I miss something? When did we start fighting _with _the Hyenas?" He asked. Shenzi narrowed her eyes.

"Have we met before?" She asked. Buzz snorted.

"Uh, Shouldn't think so."

"You seem familiar..."

"Probably something you ate." He said. Kiava grinned.

"Ouch. He's got you there." Their discussion was interrupted by loud shouting, and Zuri came darting back down the corridor.

"They are coming – and Amun is leading them!" She said.

"Bane's _blood... Already?!_" Shenzi cursed. "Tell me you have another plan..." She said turning to Kiava. The not-so-young cub look frightened for a moment, but then determined.

"Bruce! Bring down the tunnel!" He shouted. Bruce's eyes widened, and Ookai looked at Kiava in panic,

"Are you mad?! Its massive!"

But even as he spoke, Bruce, Kiava, Zuri, and the hyenas clawed into the stone rockwork with all of their strength. And slowly, the sides of the tunnel began to crumble away. The ceiling began to creak ominously, and more dirt and dust began to fall away. Kiava grinned as the rocks bean to shift and moan.

"Now! Everybody out!" He shouted, and they ran. They ran as hard as they could. The familiar pressure of the chase burning behind Kiava's eyes. The fear, the scent of blood and death. But he was used to the fear now. Used to the danger and the chase. Used to seeing the world as prey did. Used to it, and alive in it. Every day since he could remember he recalled the same fear, and now it wasn't as frightening as he had been. Now, it gave him strength. The Hyenas, the apes, the lion cubs, and the meerkat ran out of that tunnel, even as carrocscirr began to howl in protest. Shenzi grinned. They couldn't have brought down the whole of the Ivory Tower – such as task would have been impossible – but they had wrote such damage upon the tunnel that that passageway would very soon crumble into nothingness... She giggled. Well played Kiava. She risked a look behind her, and saw, sure neough, that rocks and stones were beginning to fall away. The tunnel was beginning to collapse. Laughing, the Hyenas made their way into the Shadowlands, across the dusty, acrid plains of ash... and to relative saftley.

Several hours later, Shenzi called a halt, and the exhausted pack of Hyenas slowed. She looked aorund, and made a swift headcount. They had no way of knowing how many others had escaped before they collapsed the tunnel – but even so, more had escaped then would have otherwise. She sighed. Too many had not.

Kiava pulled to halt, and flopped to the ground. The young cub had kept up just as well, but by now must have been exhausted. To her surprise however, Kiava stood up, dragged himself to his feet, and move around, checking first to his friends, and then to several of the nearby Hyenas. Warily she approached him.

"That was an impressive thing you did..." She told him softly. Kiava shrugged.

"It wasn't. There should have be another way... I killed any Hyena that was still inside the tower..." He said, frustrated.

"There were dead already, Kiava... You saved this many – and goodness knows how many others by delaying them in the throne room for as long as you did."

"I didn't do anything unique... Nothing no one else could have thought of." Shenzi laughed.

"You'll find, Kiava, that much of being a leader, consists not of having good ideas, but of having them under pressure, when everyone else is in mindless panic..." She pointed out. Kiava gave a small smile.

"I guess so..." he said.

"We need to regroup with the other Hyenas... If any escaped, they'll have fled to _Skeleton Canyon... _To the east. The Valley is steep on both sides, so there is only one defensive line... Its defend able for days with enough of us." She said. Kiava blinked. Perfect. The gears in his mind were already spinning, thinking of the possibilities.

"Good. After a short rest, you can lead us there. We did some serious damage... to them."

"I'll appreciate your company on the way there, Kiava... But after that, you should be on your way. This isn't your fight..." Shenzi began. Kiava laughed.

"Oh, don't even try it. I am depending on you and yours to help me reclaim the Pridelands, Shenzi... I would be a poor ally if I abandoned you now..." He said. Shenzi coughed.

"Kiava... this changes nothing. I told you – the Hyenas would never trust the word of another Lion King..."

"Oh, don't worry. I don't expect them to yet... I'll just follow through on my end of the deal..."

"Umm..."

"The conditions of our allience, you said earlier... _To Break the Siege... To defeat an Army of Jackals... And to Kill Amun._" He said. Shenzi gaped. When she had said that, she had been intending to illustrate the impossibility of it... but now, Kiava had a familiar determined look in his eye. A look had seen before... A look she had seen on the face of King Scar... as he had plotted and schemed. And now, she could feel that Kiava had also discovered a rare gift. He was beginning to plan... Kiava broke the spell suddenly, when his serious face turned into a wide grin.

"Don't worry. I have a few more ideas..."

Zuri groaned.

"You can't possibly actually have plan..."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves... I said 'idea'."

"Whatever you say..." She muttered.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

_Hours later..._

* * *

Amun paced through the wreckage of the tunnel angrily. They had been so close! They had been right there! Staring him the face.. but they had escaped yet again. The Lion Prince, and the rulers of the Ivory tower, along with half of the Fighting Hyenas, and the majority of the civilians (Though – considering Hyenas – most were actually capable fighters), it had taken them hours to figure out another passageway through the maze of the tunnels, and by that time, the daylight was fading, and the Hyenas and their allies were long gone. Amun could have roared in anger. As it happened, he simply allowed himself an indulgent wipe at a nearby rock, sending it cartwheeling into the air, spinning, and crashing into the dirt with a loud clatter. To his surprise, the stone struck something, and that something gave a yelp.

Instantly, honed instincts of vicious murder kicked in, and he leapt forwards, bring terrible claws to bear against the unseen life form.

"Wait!" The voice said urgently. Amun halted himself just in time. A shriek of terror would have been expect, begging for ones life was also a frequent occurrence for other animals. A short reprieve was not the status quo. It signified that the voice had expected to see him – and had not been surprised by the attack, merely panicked. That alone delayed him long enough to take a second look at his prey.

It was a Hyenas. A young one, clearly female.

_**"You?"** _He asked in confusion.

"Amun..." Asante said. Her eyes flashed white and Amun was shifted from Asante by a sudden gust of wind. Strong though it was, only that he not been braced for the blast meant that he was shifted from his feet. Starteled, he fell back on the age old response, snarling and preparing to growl.

_**"You were either very brave or very stupid to return here... Now you can die here as well..."**_ He said, and swung at her, ready to swipe at Asante's face.

"Stop!" She shouted. She seemed nervous, and her eyes had a haunted look to them, almost guilty. "I didn't return here to die... I came here to live!" She said desperately. Amun paused. Then a cruel smile began to form on his lips.

_**"Live... Ah... You came to bargain for your life?"** _He asked softly. Asante shifted.

"Please... I am the daughter of Shenzi... We are no strangers to unlikely alliances in the face of a common foe. I... Am prepared to make a deal with you Amun... A deal to bring peace and stability back to the Pridelands. A deal that will end resistance to your rule... Is that not something we can both agree on? Your alliance with the Serpents shows that you-"

**_"Enough."_ **Amun said sharply. And Amun ceased speaking immediately. He looked around. The carven was deserted, but other wilddogs were only a roar away. Smiling now, Amun turned to Asante.

**_"What did you have in mind? Hmm? You expect me to believe that you will surrender after all of... this?"_**

"I... _Shai'tan_, the Hyenas are not united on this matter... But that is what rulers _do_ they make the tough decisions that underlings can't make... I... I will not see anymore of my people be killed for a lose cause. I am willing to surrender to you... On a few conditions..." She said. Amun laughed.

"_**Bargaining already? Hmm? Well, I have the authority to make certain agreements, if I chose, but what makes you think for a moment that you are in a position to negotiate? Why shouldn't I just kill you now? Or hold you captive against you parent's behaviour? Or demand unconditional surrender? You really need to think these things through more Asante, daughter of Shenzi..."**_ He said, his voice becoming a low and dangerous hiss. Asante's eyes widened, and she took a step back looking genuinely frightened. Then she gritted her teeth.

"Watching my mother abandon Carrocscirr after it was lost... We can't live against that power, it will just keep coming... We will have to adapt... And I think that we can come to an agreement... Over something we have that you want. _Someone_." She said, leaving the name unspoken. Amun hesitated. True. After a moment he nodded his head, and she continued.

"I want a _guarantee_ that there will be no repercussions for the Hyenas who survived. If we surrender, we live. We start a new leaf, as servants of the Shai'tan. We leave this blood behind us."

_**"Easily granted..."**_

"I want you to leave the Shadowlands under their own rule. We are not bound to Rish'ut's murders at Golgorath, we aren't expected to fight for our meat. Any Hyenas you recurit to fight for you will readily patrol these borders, and the borders in the Pridelands, but not the Outlands, not the Swamplands, or the desert borders. We won't become grunts for you to throw away. And we'll chose our own governors... They'll be loyal to you, but no Shai'tan gets moved into Carrocscirr, no giant purple serpent or anything. We'll handle our own hierarchy, and we won't be an issue for you..."

**_"You desire self rule? Hmm... Well, I can grant that for now... but if the Emperor disagrees, I won't be bound by that promise..."_ **He warned him. Asante hesitated then nodded.

"Fair enough."

_**"Anything else?"** _Amun asked, starting to feel a laugh rising in his belly. This was too easy.

"If... If it turns out that my parents side with the Lion King... They are still respected and powerful.. Not everyone will follow me. If they decide to stand against me in this matter... if my own parents... I... I'll... I'll require...-"

**_"You'd want help overthrowing your mother and father?"_ **Amun asked. Asante's stunned expression said it all. "**_With pleasure... Was there anything else?_**" The great Tiger asked. Asante shook her head.

"No. Do we have an agreement?" She asked. Amun laughed now, and it echoed throughout Carrocscirr.

**_"Yes... Yes we do. Now Asante... tell me... Where can I find the Lion King Kiava? Lead me and my forces to him... and you shall be Queen of the Shadowlands, and your reign shall be long and prosperous. Not a single drop of Hyena blood after that day, will be spilt. All that I require... is the death of Kiava."_ **He told her. Asante stared at the Tiger for a full minute before opening her mouth.

"Very well... I can take you to him."

* * *

**AN:**

**Well well well! Its been some time hasn't it? This chapter was a bitch to write. Seriously. I would write about three lines, then sink into hour long writers block.**

**Kiava was very competent in this chapter, and his first real test as a leader! I hope you are finding it to your tastes, as he will continue to grow as leader as the book progresses!**

**In other news, new things in life have been keeping me busy – including starting University! Sweet!**

**Obviously with the holidays over, things will not be completed so quickly – but there won't be a huge hiatus as this break was now that this chapter is out of the way. **

**Coming up next, we return to Danyal, Vitani and the others, as we set up some of the plot lines for this book! I really think that you will enjoy this!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Conspiracies

**"Hello Everyone. Again, sorry for the slow pace in uploading chapters. Unfortunately, this will be the pattern for the foreseeable future. The opening of this scene is very fast paced and jumpy, deliberately so. I only warn you so that you don't get confused. Just read it slowly, and it will make sense... I am trying something a little arty... After that part, it goes to something a little more conventional, but is also home to one of the bigger plot twists in this book. But that said... I have four... five major plot twists planned this Book?"**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Conspiracies**

* * *

Vitani span in the mists, slicing out at unseen foes. She could hear their stone cold laughter, their shrieking roars of anger and sadistic cries of pleasure. They were all around her, yet also managing to stay out of sight. She shouted as she felt the raking pain of talon moving across her flesh. Blood spilled and boiled and hissed. The claw was almost white hot. She screamed in pain, but pressed on.

"Mother!" She shouted. Her own cry was almost lost in the whirling madness around her. It was like a wind, a cyclone, a tornado... but of sound. Sound that raged and pressed aginst her eardrums, sounds which muddeled and merged around her, seeming distant and up close at the same time, sound that caused her to shake, to make the very ground around her shake.

"Mother!" She called again. But there was no sign or sound of her.

Vitani looked around her again, and the mist seemed to clear... revealing a desolate wasteland. A reddened dusty ground... It reminded her of the out lands, barren of all life, but the dust was as hot as the desert's rage they had endured after being separated from the cubs for the first time. She looked around in horror... Where was she? Her thoughts were confused and addled... Had she taken a blow to the head recently? Her memory was fuzzy... but she remembered her mother... Zira.

"Mum!" She cried, and for a moment her form flickered... and the graceful huntress was gone... in her place was a cub... Not what one might call a darling to look at. She was dirty, covered in filth, and skinned. Her eyes were wide and edgy, always looking, and bloodshot from lack of sleep. They were a piercing blue and they were the only spot of colour... and even that was half hidden under a an overgrown, unkempt tuft of fur that seemed to want to obscure the small beauty she possessed. She darted around... and then flickered again, her adult form returning. She was taller, older and stronger. Better fed as well. But her eyes were the same...

"Mother!" she cried again, looking around her. Then she gasped. The sky above her was a darkened red... Great clouds of black ash filled the sky, and the sun was a terrible Scarlet red, and ten times the size it should have been... filling the sky, and yet the shadows seemed to grow all the stronger for it. The light should have dazzled her, but the darkness remained. The air reeked of sulphur, giving the wind and acidic bite, and all around her the roaring sound grew in strength and size.

"Mother!" She called one last time... But her voice was lost in the wind. And now the sound was terrible, she screwed her eyes shut, trying to blot it out, but it was too much... And then she became aware of something else. The sound was not a toneless roar... it was the sounds of screams. A hundred, thousand screams all crying out in total pain and misery, merging together in a world of suffering and torment, filling the darkness with their agony. And somewhere in it all was her mother... She looked out across the wasteland, and here and there she could see shapes, great bat like figures moving and twisting, the mist becoming coils of smoke and flame, obscuring her vision... And between them, there were other shapes... little wisps of light and flickers of colour against the monotony of red and black... and around them the bat-like shapes swooped and circles, bringing terrible claws that glowed with heat against them, tearing and slashing and poking and prodding, sending jolts and scrapes of pain through the beings of light...

"What is this place..." She whispered in horror, as around her the smell of sulphur became tinged with the smell of burning flesh... of burning spirit...

"_Vitani... You can't be here..." _A voice said... Vitani turned, and saw a familiar ghostly figure.

"Mother?" She gasped. Zira smiled, then cried out in pain as a creature of smoke and darkness swiped at her, spinning out the darkness, tearing into the her essence, then disappearing again just as suddenly... the damage seemed to heal after a moment, and then the creature returned to repeat its torment. Some cackled, some laughed, some screamed... some were silent and some seemed to weep as if tormented by their own actions as much as the suffering they inflicted...

"_Vitani... Go from here... this place is not for you yet..."_

"Mother..."

"_Go! There will be an eternity for you to return in good time, dear daughter... enjoy the sweetness of life while you still have it..."_

"What is this place? Tell me!"

"_These are the caves of Damned, Tani! The realm of darkness! The heavens are nothing, there is only darkness! Only darkness for one such as me! Only an eternity of pain for Zira Devilqueen!"_ She howled as a pair of demons born into her skin, spinning as they approached and piercing through her, drilling through her ghostly form. She gasped and jerked... but the damage soon healed, leaving her panting biting her teeth in pain...

"Tani!" Another voice called. Vitani turned, tears in her eyes to see another hauntingly familiar face.

"Kovu?! But... But you weren't... You were..."

"The Spawn of Scar! I was the Heir of Darkness! Did you really think my reign would lead to me to any kingdom other than this?! ARRRAH!" Kovu's soul raged in torment.

"No!" Vitani gasped... "This cannot be! This must NOT be!" She gasped. But Zira's screams and those of Kovu were soon drowned out by other howls... Howls she recognised. The shrieks of River Lords and Hyenas, Wilddogs... Standing to one side a long way off was the burnt shape of a Tigress... Sekmet howled as vulture like beings made of smoke pecked and clawed at her skin, her back, and her eyes... The cries of the murderess were mingled with the shrieks of the innocent.

"_**LIFE IS PAIN, VITANI! WHO SAID THE AFTERLIFE WAS DIFFERENT!?"**_ howled another and Vitani turned and saw with horror a being of darkness step slowly towards her...

"No..." She whispered. Scar laughed... His form was butchered and mangled... in places his skeleton was visible where the flesh had been picked clean by Hyenas and demons... but his scar remained in place... And the scar was made of fire... scarlet flame perpetually burning his face.

"Ah... Till death do we part, dear Zira..." He chuckled, while Zira shrieked as the vulture like beings began to claw and peck at her. She swiped at them, but it was like trying to stab smoke... they evaporated and reformed even as her claws moved. Around them, the ground began to glow red, and the heat of the sun high above them began to gain in strength... Thunder and cataclysmic earthquakes shook the ground, and magma began to spill out around them. Scar looked at his former mate sadly.

"The first twenty seasons are the worst of it... afterwards... well, the pain doesn't get numbed... but you become used to it... This is the fate that awaits all of our family, Vitani..."

"No! NO! Mother! Kovu! This isn't right! It isn't _fair!" _She said desperately.

"Dear Vitani... You've lived through the Imperium... If you still thought by this point that the world was fair... then you've really not been paying attention..." The tyrant laughed, his spirit driven completely insane... the fate which would await her mother_... _And not the magma and flames around them began to spread faster... it began to engulf everything. Spirits and a souls and demons and visions... there only flame and darkness.

* * *

**_"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGH!"_** Vitani screamed, waking up suddenly. The night air was dissipating, and the shock of the dream still pulsed through her. Immediately, Almasi was there at her side.

"Its okay! Its fine remember... everything is fine, it just a bad dream... just a nightmare!" Almasi said. Vitani looked at her, her panic beginning to subside. She brought her heavy breathing under control and began to ease. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she opened her eyes, her familiar steel calm was present again. She shook her head.

"It was so real..." She said.

"What did you see?" Almasi asked her. Vitani shook her head.

"A world... a world of fire and torment... The Abyss that awaits the Shai'tan and their Master... My mother was there... unable to ascend to the heavens because of her cruelty... And Kovu... And Nuka, I think... all of them..."

"Vitani... Its was just a dream. It means nothing..."

"_What if it doesn't? _What if Zira really is being tortured there for eternity?"

"That is nonsense and you know it... Zira did the right thing... She sacrificed herself so that you could escape, her daughter! She did it knowingly, she was beginning to change, Vitani, she was better!"

"What if it wasn't enough? I should have saved her... she should have had a chance! A chance to be someone other than the witch she had become! A chance to be..."

"A chance to be a good mother?" Almasi asked her. Vitani looked away. Almasi sighed. Vitani shook her head. She thought back to her mother, her brothers, her family. Hardly the picture of a happy family, but all that she had, and the pain of losing them was once again pulled out in front of her.

"I spent my entire life, convinced that the Kings of the Past were a legend... And when Kovu died, I convinced myself that they were real, so that I wouldn't have to admit that he was gone... So what do I do now? If I believe in the afterlife, my brother survives, but my mother is tortured for eternity... And if I don't believe it, my mother is spared... But I am left alone again..." Vitani said quietly. Almasi stared at her friend.

"Vitani. _You are not alone. _You are never alone..." She said softley. "Zira... was a complicated lioness. Vitani, She wasn't a good mother... She wasn't a good person. But sometimes, bad people are able to do good things the same as good people can do bad things. It doesn't matter what Zira actually was. She _tried _ to be a good person, in the end. She wouldn't have faced damnation for that. We can't ever know all the answers Vitani..."

"Why not?" Vitani laughed bitterly.

"The day we have the answer, is the day we stop asking..." Almasi pointed out. Vitani sighed. Already her head was bursting with the hundreds of tasks she knew she would need to accomplish before dusk. She could waste no more time on her own dreams.

"What time is it?"

"Early morning... Dawn isn't long past." Vitani sighed. Another restless night.

"Sorry for waking you up..." She said, and stood up, stretching. Today would be another long say.

After surviving the Battle of The Glade, as it was becoming known as, the animals of the united Prides, and escaped gladiators had bound together. A few has gone their seperate ways, taking advantage of their freedom to get themselves as far away from the Shai'tan as they possibly good. They had scattered, and attempted to find their way to the Pridelands borders, either heading south to the great Desert, trying to cross into the sparsely patrolled Southlands, or else to make it over the eastern mountain ranges beyond the Jungle, to the mountain lands, and the far eastern lands beyond where the touch of the Shai'tan was less pronounced... Even so, they now had no idea how far the power of the Shai'tan had permeated. The Pridelands were tightly under the grip of the Shai'tan. Some would make it. Some would not.

"Inti! Go for him, you can do it!"

"Look out Koron, he's coming round again! Watch – ouch! That looked... nasty." two cries pierced their hearing. Almasi and Vitani looked to one another.

"The cubs..." Almasi said, softly. Vitani moved swiftly, but without urgency and soon found the source of the cries. Surrounded by about half a dozen of the other gladiators, Inti and Koron were sparring again, in a rough circle. Many of the animals watched them with interest. Inti span like a coiled snake and struck out a Koron who returned blow for blow. Their claws were unsheathed, though there was little power behind their blows, Vitani couldn't help but wince as a claw came dangerously close to Inti's eye. The young cub wasn't deterred, and lashed out with his powerful jaws, clamping viciously around Koron's neck and dragging the cub to the ground. He grunted, and tried to free himself but Inti had already released him.

"Mortal." He told him. A deadly wound. Koron nodded, and Inti looked around in surprise as Vitani and Almasi approached.

"Mother... Vitani... Did you come to watch us spar?" He asked carefully, but avoided his mother's eyes. She scowled at him.

"You know I cannot bare to watch you fight one another..." She said. Inti shrugged.

"We do what we must. We will not allow ourselves to be caught again, not without a fight." He reminded her. Almasi shook her head and strode away. Vitani sighed.

"You know she only wants what's best for you..." She told Inti. Inti sniffed.

"She might have convinced Sara to give up her training but she won't convince me. I will not hide in the shadows the next time the Shai'tan come to call... And you agree with me, so don't pretend to think ill of me for training in the mornings with the others former slaves..." Inti said sharply. Vitani nodded.

"You are right... I do think you are wise to be cautious. I also think you are insensitive of your mother by doing so in the middle of the our camp where she cannot help but to here and see you. She went through a lot of emotional anguish when you were imprisoned, Inti, and it hurts her to think -"

"With all due respect, Vitani, I think you might find that we endured a lot more than emotional anguish when we were imprisoned."

"Inti, I didn't mean-"

"Have a good day, Vitani. Rei, Koron, come with me. We'll secure our own meat tonight." He said. And the rest of the slaves left without a word. Vitani ground her teeth in frustration, but no sooner had she finished with Inti, when another voice caught her ear.

"I don't care if you _think _that you owned this piece of meat. We hunted it, its ours, and it will stay ours for the foreseeable future. Go and hunt your own." A jaguar said sharply. It was Darina, one of the other escaped slaves. Already the young female was proving to be a formidabe force within their group, and now Vitani found herself wishing Inti hadn't gone of in such a huff. If the situation involved Darina or her sister, it could be problematic.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked. Darina, and the Asiatic Lioness in front of her turned in surprise. The lioness smiled to see her but Darina bared her teeth.

"None of your business, Vitani." She said sharply. The lioness growled.

"Darina and her compatriots here are sitting on a pile of meat they hunted a few days past. Its nearing the end of its prime, and Lukaan and some of the injured need food for the day. But Darina here is refusing to share with the wounded." She said. Vitani had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. This was it? Petty squabbles? Really? Before she could speak, Darina had snapped her teeth.

"It was hunted by escaped slaves, for the wounded among _us. _Not for you. Go hunt your own meat."

"What wounded? Yours are all capable of walking!" The Asiantic Lioness snarled. Darina laughed.

"My sister, Karina, is waking with a limp and can't hunt. And Forn is very seriously injured!"

" Your sister is fine, and as for Forn, that wilddog has caused enough damage without scrounging meat from the others!"

"Forn?! That wilddog happens to be the only wilddog for ten thousand miles not in league with the Shai'tan! He was tortured in Golgorath the same as the rest of us-"

"And was he there for objecting to the Shai'tan's rule, or for murdering one of his pack-mates? Hmm? I've heard mixed reports."

"He did both!"

"So we're joined by yet another backstabber? Watch yourself, Jaguar... Because between Seba, and Forn, I am beginning to wonder how many of your supposed gladiators are trustworthy. The rest of us ran for our lives every day whilst you were imprisoned! I watched my home burn under the Shai'tan's rule... Hell my kind is facing extinction, and I will not let one more Asiatic lioness die, because her food went to a mangy treacherous dog and his pals!

"You little! I'll gut you!"

"ANYWAY!" Vitani shouted, and the two animals blinked and turned as if seeing Vitani for the first time again. Vitani glared at them.

"Have you two forgotten that you are on the same side! You've both fought the Shai'tan and you've both paid terrible prices for your courage! Are you really stupid enough to start wasting your time with name calling and rumour mongering? Enough. I will not hear another word about it!

Darina, you are part of a big Pride now, and you'll act like it, by working with the Hunting parties to bring in enough game for everyone. And as for you... What are you, a Hyena? Poaching kills of others? You should be ashamed of yourself. You are on the same side, so start acting like it!" Vitani snapped, fully incensed. The two animals glared at one another and then at her, and went in separate directions without looking back. Vitani groaned. She found it impossible to command these... The Asiatics respected her, didn't seem to trust her judgement, and the slaves didn't even give her that. Barring Inti and Sara, the escaped fighters were loose cannons. They would fight, oh yes, they could fight, but they refused any kind of authority other than their own. Only Koron seemed able to control them, and only Inti and Sara seemed able to control _him. _The rest of the time, they were a shambles. Had her mother really died for this? She shook her head. There would be time for her to ponder these things later, time to think of a compromise, time for rational debate and discussion, time for her to prove herself a leader to the rest of them.

For now they could afford no luxury...

"Vitani!" Another voice called. Vitani almost screwed her eyes shut in irritation.

"What now!?" She snapped, and turned to see Danyal and the young leopard cub in front of him. The young lion's scarred form was unmistakable. Great – more guilt. Just what she needed this morning.

"'Tani, Calin And I have been scouting the area. I know where we are."

"What did you find?" She asked cautiously. Calin grinned.

"To the west, not far from here, there is this ring of Stones. Great black polished pillars of dusty black stone. Five of them, in a circle. Gave me the creeps. Didn't feel natural..." Calin said. Vitani nodded.

"Ah! Five Stones. So..."

"So its as we thought. Sundar's Gateway took us back into the Pridelands, several miles to the Northwest of where we left. The Shadowlands lie to our north, the Swamplands to our backs. That's why we haven't seen many of the Shai'tan's spies, this area is completely desolate. We are several hours away from _anything. _And the birds avoid Five Stone's like the plauge... They get lost around here, so we shan't need to worry about those... It's perfect." Danyal said. Vitani had to agree. Now things were looking up. She smiled at the young lion.

"Ah... Danyal. Praise the Kings. Someone competent." Did she really just say that? Kings, they _were _desperate. Calin jumped around.

"Great. Can I go and train with Inti and the other's now?" Calin asked Danyal. The lion nodded.

"Fine. After you check with Helio to see if he needs you to do anything." He said. It was unlikely he would ask anything of the young cub, since Helio had become one of the Pride's lead huntresses. They now incorporated so many animals in their group that multiple hunts were required to feed them all. The cub ran off excitedly causing Danyal to roll his eyes. Vitani laughed as she watched him disappear.

"Well, at least one of us has managed to keep disciple in their followers..." She said, and told Danyal of her ordeal with Asiatics and the Slaves. Danyal listened, and then groaned in the retelling.

"This... could be very serious, Vitani... I think, I had better get the others. I think we need to discuss this..." He said.

"I have a horrible feeling you are right..."

About an hour later, the leader's of Vitani's group were all gathered. Helio, Sundar and Lukaan sat together, representing the Asiatics. Danyal, Almasi and Damu paced next to them. And joining them, were Inti, Sara and Koron. By some unspoken consensus, the three cubs now seemed for Slave than Pridelander. They had been... changed... by their time in Golgorath. Inti's flame orange eyes now seemed to burn in the night. But there was a coldness to them that hadn't existed before. Sara seemed less changed, but there was an edge to her manner, a quickness to her eyes that was new to her character... And Koron... Heaven only new what Koron had once been like, but now the shadowy cub sat in silence, blood red eyes staring, piercing, questioning. And he lay about among his elders, totally at home. A Rouge trapped in the body of a cub. He seemed almost bored at the situation. Vitani explained the situation and recounted the days events to them all, and received varying responses. Sundar and Danyal shared a look.

"After every hing we have been through... We can't let things fall apart now..." She said, to which Danyal nodded in agreement. Helio shook his head.

"I wish it were that simple... But there hasn't ever been a gathering like this... forever. When have leopard, jaguars, cheetahs, and lion's all fought together? We are asking too much of them. They are frightened of loosing what little they have left."

"Are you saying that we should just leave them at oneanother's throats? Even if we managed to hold this group together, they can't _fight _together. They won't and you can't make them." Inti said shortly. Helio growled softly.

"I am suggesting no such thing, just that it can't hurt to have a little empathy for the poor souls so recently freed from captivity. I'll apologise for caring." He snapped. Inti barked a laugh.

"Spare me your pity. I didn't see any of the Asiatics working to free us from Golgorath, so don't prtend you actually care about us." Inti snapped.

"Inti! That's not what he meant and you know it." Sara said, but Koron nodded in agreement with Inti.

"He has a point though. Just take today's escapade for example. We'd trust Forn with our lives – we have had to. We have every reason to. We have no reason to trust any prissy Asiantic who didn't lift a claw to help us." Koron said.

"Hey, HEY!" Danyal interrupted. "You know full well a frontal assault would have been suicidal. You trust _me _Inti, and I trust them." Inti paused then nodded. He did trust Inti... and in fairness, they had no reason to distrust the Asiatics... But the enemy of his enemy was not necessarily a friend.

"I'll have a word with some of the other slaves... But only if you explain to those lionesses that we'll take care of our own, and anyone seen so much as looking at Forn suspiciously will have me to answer to!" He said. Sundar bit her tongue. The lioness in question had clearly been concerned for a friend and frustrated that meat wasn't being shared around... but... He had a point. She nodded.

Vitani glared at them.

"You see? You are at one another's throats already. And even though you are working together, you can't help but push for each other's goals."

"You'd think they'd prioritise our problems a little more..." Damu said irritably. It was incredible that they could squabble at a time like this, and he said as much. Vitani shook her head.

"No... Its very normal. We are no different to the animals we are leading...

They feel like they can't possibly deal with the problems plaguing us at the moment, so they become irritable... they take it out on each other, and they aggressively seize upon any issue they think they can fix, making issues out of nothing, and invariably making things worse at the same time...

What we need... is a new perspective. We are on the same side here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Slaves are obsessed with killing Shai'tan, and freeing any other Slaves. Damu's priority now is finding Zuri – no, don't shake your head Damu, its perfectly reasonable - I want vengence for the family I have lost, Almasi wants to protect the family she has left. The Asiatics want..."

"We want to reclaim the Heartlands." Lukaan said. Vitani nodded. Danyal lifted his gaze.

"Our objectives are similar but they overlap and clash... But they don't have to. Each of those goals can be accomplished by a single goal. THIS is what needs to be understood by every member of this Pride, no matter where they are from. The One goal must take priority over our personal goals. Overwise, we risk failing."

"And what goal would that be? Hmm? While I wish you the best will in the world, Lukaan, I shan't get myself killed reconquering the Heartlands any time soon." Koron said. Lukaan sighed.

"I am aware." He said. Vitani cleared her throat.

"I have been thinking about this... Thinking about what goal unites us all, and it is this: The destruction and defeat of the Imperium. Not just the deaths of the Shai'tan, but the disassembly of the Imperium itself."

"You are saying..."

"We need to retake the Pridelands, and we cannot do that without Kiava..."

"I know... I dread to think of the poor lad trying to survive on his own..." Danyal muttered. Vitani sighed.

"Its worse than that... Its not just about getting Kiava back safe and sound... The Asiatics don't trust me, and the slaves don't trust anyone. The lionesses are getting into arguments with both of them, and no one takes orders from anyone but their own leaders, one of whom is a traumatised cub, the other an injured male. Neither takes orders from _me _without someone breaking their forepaw. They only care about hurting the Shai'tan, which is all very well when they are baring down our necks, but it makes any overarching strategy _impossible_..."

"So your saying you need to get their leader's to cooperate?"

"No. I am saying that they need a leader they can _all_ relate to. Cheetahs, Leopards, Slaves, all of us. Pridelanders, one and all. We need to be Pridelanders before we are anythign else... the one thing uniting all Pridelanders... Is their King. They can't go on just fighting the Shai'tan for hatred's sake. Its not a fight we can win. We won't be able to murder every Shai'tan and all their followers... we are too few and they too great."

"I will give it a good go..." Koron said, and Inti bared his teeth at that. Vitani shook her head.

"No! If we are to have success against the Shai'tan we need more followers, more fighters. We need people to want to join us in our rebbelion. We need people to risk everything to help us. We need to bring people back from the clutches of the Shai'tan! We need Kiava... We need a _King_! We him to claim the crown, so we can actually oppose the Shai'tan... Otherwise... What are we? What is the point?"

"Killing the Shai'tan seems like a pretty good objective to me... But I think I see your point..." Danyal said. Vitani nodded.

"I am glad you agree."

"So that is your solution? Find Kiava?" Danyal asked.

"We give them what they want. Want they _need. _We give them Kiava." She said. Sara shook her head.

"Maybe I am the only one hwo sees this flaw, but we havn't got the foggiest idea_ where _Kiava is! We could still be months away from finding him. He might even be dead!" Sara said. Vitani grinned, and for once, Damu was reminded of her mother. A chill went down her spine to see it.

"_Precisely_... But... There is still a solution. We can't find _our_ Kiava... But the other's don't need to know that..." Vitani said. There was stunned silence.

"No. No way." Koron said and got up and began to walk away.

"Koron, get back here!" Sara snapped. Her eyes were cold now as she starred at Vitani.

"What on earth do you mean by that?!" She asked Vitani. Vitani's eyes gleamed.

"It was a thought I had a while back... not long after I came to my senses following my mother's death..." She said. Damu looked very distressed.

"If you are suggesting what I think you are..."

"Look. I won't beat about the bush. This is what I am suggesting: _We create an imposter._ A False-Kiava. One who will appear to lead the Pride. We create something for the Shai'tan to challenge. An illusion. This Kiava is the one who strikes out at the Shai'tan, leading us against the Imperium." Vitani said. There was more quiet.

"I... See. You mean to let the Shai'tan think they are fighting Kiava..."

"Yes. And our fighters as well." She said. Sundar gasped.

"You can't! You can't lie to them about something like this!"

"If it means the infighting stops..." Sara said, deep in thought.

"And what about when we fight the Shai'tan? What of the animals who die! Do we let them die for a deception! A lie! No! NO! I won't condone this." Danyal said.

"I agree with Scarface over there... They deserve better than this." Koron said. Vitani growled softly.

"Dying for a deception?! Its better than dying for no reason at all, or do you no longer believe in the righteousness of out cause?" She asked him.

"That's not fair!" Sundar snapped, but Damu interrupted.

"Perhaps we _should_ consider it... I mean, it can't hurt the Real Kiava... In fact, if we are successful, he will hear of us, and know its safe to return to us. And in the meantime, the Shai'tan will call off the hunt for him..." Damu said. Helio began to nod slowly.

"I think I can see this working... It is for the greater good. And we can always tell them _eventually _by the time we actually have the real Kiava."

"Yes! And in the mean time, they will have learnt to work together. We are helping them stay alive by saving them from their own stupidity!" Vitani said. Koron still scowled.

"That's incredibly patronising you know..." He snapped. Then he nodded. "But... If it saves their lives... if it makes them focus on the bigger issues..."

"And if it brings us closer to defeating the Shai'tan..." Almasi said again.

"Koron, it won't just bring us closer, it is the only _chance _we have. If we don't do this, we are doomed to failure. We'll devour ourselves long before we get a chance to actually fight..." Vitani said.  
"No. I don't like it. Its dangerous to begin with, making one of us a target for the Shai'tan, not to mention vulnerable to attacks from within the Pride... What if the truth is discovered? How kindly will they take to being lied to? We could undo everything we have worked for!" Almasi said.

Koron, Inti, Vitani, Damu, and Lukaan nodded. Danyal, Sundar, Almasi and Sara remained unconvinced.

"It isn't right... Surely we can just _talk _to them? Make them see that unless they work together-" the lioness cub protested. She looked distinctively uncomfortable.

"Its not that simple Sara... Maybe eventually we could trust them with the truth, when we were sure that they wouldn't just all go their separate ways... We can't fight the Shai'tan alone." Vitani said.

"We've fought with them before! Who knows how they'd react? The Slaves are _broken. _They endured so much in those pits, of course they'll be frightened! Scared. They are unpredictable but that doesn't mean we should lie to them! They can be trusted without being made to think they are helping a King who isn't there!" Sara said. Danyal nodded.

"I agree... Lukaan, you can't agree to this, you know your kind better than _I _do, you know they'll listen to reason..." Danyal said. Lukaan winced.

"I trust them completely Danyal... But I can't _make_ them trust Vitani. They like her, certainly, but they won't obey her orders without question, and if we are going to be fighting alongside one another, they need to be able to trust that if they take certain actions, they'll be backed up by the Pridelanders..." Lukaan said. He sighed. "I see no other option, for now, than... Misleading them... for the greater good." Lukaan said. Sundar frowned at him.

"I don't like this... If everyone else agrees to this, then I shall go along with it, but I don't like it." She said softly.

"You are _manipulating_ them." Danyal accused. Vitani blinked.

"I don't-"

"You are proposing that we should lie to them, to make our jobs easier. It's easier to make them fall in line, to make them behave in a way that benefits us." He said. He didn't like how this was going. It sounded far to much like something Zira would do.

"It benefits them all!" Vitani said. How could she make them understand? Is wasn't as if she was _tricking _them. Kiava did need them. And Kiava was going to challenge the Shai'tan. They were not installing a puppet ruler, merly giving them a manifestation of their ideals. A Symbol. It was no different to _actually _having Kiava among them, apart from that he wasn't. She wasn't lying about their motives, or about the righteousness of the task. She wasn't convincing them to throw their lives away from a hopeless task. If Kiava were here, she wouldn't change her argument at all... That wasn't wrong, surly? If they were prepared to fight and risk their lives for the sake the rightful King, what difference did it make that the King wasn't genuinely present? She tried to explain as much, and Sara's protests faded, but Danayl and Almasi were unmoved.

"That's not the point!" Danyal said angrily. "Let them distrust one another for now. Eventually, they'll get over it! They will learn to work together, and will do so without us tricking them into into it. They deserve better than this... They aren't pawns!" He said.

"And in the mean time, how many of them will die? How many of _us _will die? Are you willing to gamble your fate that eventually, they'll turn around and say: 'uh, actually, you were right all along?' Are you willing to gamble the fate of the Pridelands because you are scarred of getting your paws dirty? What matters more to you, a Free Pridelands, or a clean conscience?" Vitani said, nearly shouting with frustration. It was all very well to be against lying in principle, but if there was one thing her mother had taught her, it was that sometimes it was necessity to bend ones own morals for the greater good. Danyal looked around.

"You are making a mistake." Almasi said, glaring at her friend. "I understand why you want to do this, but I am _begging _you, don't. It will backfire. It is wrong. Don't let your fear push you into making a decision you'll regret." Almasi said.

"Don't let yours push you into making one you'll regret. If Sara and Inti were killed right now, would you tell a lie like this to bring them back? Of course you would. So why not lie to protect them now?" Vitani asked him. Danyal hesitated. Sundar's gaze fell on the ground. Then she sighed.

"Fine. As you will." She said. And with that, Danyal's resolve collapsed.

"So be it." He agreed. Almasi still frowned, but in the face of everyone elses oposition, she to fell silent.

"Very well." She said. It was decided.

No one smiled. There was a grim sense of agreement around them, but not a unity. They had spoken, and they had disagreed so profoundly, many didn't look one another in the eye. There was no taste of victory for her. Vitani nodded

"Well then... We need to find ourselves a Kiava. Someone everyone here trusts, no matter where they are from. Someone liked, respected, who people won't question. Someone who has already shown promise in fighting the Shai'tan, and someone who looks the Part." Vitani said. Danyal nodded.

"Who did you have in mind?" He asked. She looked away.

"Only one of us have ever actually killed a Shai'tan..." She said. Danyal froze. Surley she didn't mean...

"Oh, Hell no!" He said sharply, just as the other's realized. Helio barked out a laugh.

"Oh for crying out loud... This just gets better and better doesn't it? The Warrior, the Hero, and now the bloody King as well... Someone up there really hates me..." Helio said exasperated. Danyal shot him a filthy look but Lukaan was nodding.

"True... The Slaves haven't really met you yet – you spent every waking minute after we escaped looking after Sundar while she recovered from exhausting herself... You've not spoken to any of them other than Koron..." He pointed out. Danyal backed away.

"No. No. This is a _really _bad idea! It would never work!"

"You agreed that it was the best cause of action..." Damu said.

"To produce a fake Kiava, _not to become one! _This is insane..." He said. Almasi was looking at him frowning.

"Do something about his mane but... It could work. And having Kiava be an adolescant rather than a cub couldn't hurt moral... And you are right, Danyal, you _killed _Sekmet! That already makes you a legend... If other animals heard that Prince Kiava had returned to wage war upon the Shai'tan and that he had succeeded in killing one, others could flock to our cause..." She said. Now they had accepted the unpleasantness of the lie, it was becoming more and more evident that, moral ambiguity aside, the idea _was _a good one... Sundar looked around, looking nervous.

"But... The Asiatics _know _he's Danyal!..."She said.

"Not necessarily... What if _Danyal _was the name of the other cub? And Kaiva and Danyal traded identities in order to confuse the Shai'tan? A Decoy?" Lukaan suggested.

"They'll never believe we'd allow that... Using a child as a decoy..." Damu said. Vitani frowned.

"They'd believe it of me... I am the daughter of Zira remember? Besides, I don't need to fake guilt over the cubs disappearance in any case." She said.

"Hey, HEY!" Danyal shouted. They looked at him. "Don't I get a say in this?" He exclaimed. "I already said I wouldn't do it! Forget it! The whole idea is mad anyway, I won't do it!" Danyal said. It was Inti who broke the silence.

"The idea is a good one, Danyal... You can do it. You were right before, I _do _trust you. We can't keep fighting among ourselves, and if there is one lion who could unite them in Kiava's place, its you." Inti said.

"I... I don't look a thing like Kiava! His fur was Royal Gold, and his mane was pitch Black! Mine is dark brown, my fur only slightly lighter!" he protested weakly. Vitani laughed.

"You look more like Kovu than Kiava ever did, Danyal! Kiava took after both his parents. You look nothing like Kiara, but your fur is brown, and your eyes are a brilliant Emerald. You look enough like Kovu that it'll not arouse suspicion. Anyone with vague memories of Kovu will see enough of him in you... The alternative is having Inti... and his fur... well... He doesn't even look like my brother or his mate. The Royal Family has never had a flamemaned King. Scarlet, Crimson, Pitch Black, even Dark Gold manes, but never flame... I highly doubt Inti would pass as Kiava. Even a false one. No one here aside form us have ever actually _seen _Kiava, how would they know which of his parents he took after?" Vitani said. It made sense but even so...

"Hold on a second, Inti? He can't!" Danayl protested. Inti sighed.

"One of us has too, and for the love of Kings, it can't be Koron!" Inti said. Danyal looked taken aback.

"No, you can't! You are already a target for the Shai'tan, if you pretend you are Kiava as well..."

"I don't have a choice. Believe, once upon a time being King would have been a thrilling proposition, but given the circumstances..." Inti said.

There was silence.

"Very well..." Danyal said at last. He gulped. "I guess... I am a Prince now... for all intents and purposes..." He said queerly. This was going to be a very difficult situation. Sundar looked at him oddly, and Helio laughed, though no one seemed to see the funny side of it.

"I'll do it... If you think it is for the best. But I do not like it." Danyal said. Almasi sighed.

"I agree with you my friend. But we must make the best of it. And perhaps we chose the lesser of two evils..." She said. Damu nodded.

"I should tell Rafiki and Yessen. Their complicitness is essential." She said. Sundar also stood up.

"I will speak to Calin. That leopard cub also knows of Kiava, and is very close to Danyal. He must be told as well, to make sure he doesn't say anything foolish." Sundar said.

When the others departed, only Vitani and Lukaan remained. They would announce the "Truth" to the Pride on the morrow. For now, they would simply rest... and in some cases, prepare themselves. Vitani sighed. Danyal had a point... but in the long run, the deception would save lives.

"You know it won't be enough." Lukaan said, quietly.

"I know."

"The Pridelanders, the Slaves and any who would join us might well be united under Kiava... But you are missing one _Crucial _factor... The Asaitics... My people. They have no loyalty to Kiava. Our home is lost..."

"This is your new home..."

"To die for? We've barley lived here... We lost so many good lionesses in the Battle of the Glade... You know as well as I do that eventually, one will ask why we don't simply move on... and leave this land to its fate. And when one does..."

"I intend to have forged an alliance with your people by them. Not just in words. The Pridelands will become your home as much as ours..."

"How?" Lukaan asked.

Vitani smiled grimly, though there was nothing to be pleased with.

"I have a plan for that."

"Another way to use Danyal?" Lukaan asked, and Vitani could tell that although he might have agreed with the necessity of the Plan, like others, he was not over enthralled with the idea of it.

"No... A way to use _Sundar."_ She said.

* * *

**AN:  
So what did you think of that?**

**What do you think of all the characters here? Danyal, Calin, Vitani, Koron and the Twins have all undergone radical changes since their original appearances and have all changed quite a bit... What are your opinions of the characters?**

**To recap this rather long chapter, Vitani witnessed her first nightmare. Those of you interested, she indeed saw Hell, but it was just a nightmare. There is no significance to this image. We know Kovu is in the Heavens, so we also know that what Vitani saw was false. It does highlight however, how much this war is beginning to affect Vitani. She has lost so much, and whilst outright insanity is unlikely, it would be very odd if there was not some mental trauma there. Maybe that is what is making her resort to such drastic action. I feel like Vitani is on a slippery slope here...  
Is she justified in her actions? Its becoming very clear that the various groups that make up her fledgling rebellion do not trust each other... The Slaves have become fractured and broken from the others, their experiences making them distrustful of everyone but themselves. The Actions of Seba haven't helped much, and apart from Danyal, the Asiatics don't feel very welcome in a foreign land, whilst theirs is considered lost.**

**In short, even though two Shai'tan are lost, the Pridelanders are no closer to defeating their enemies.**

**Next time: For the First time in the series... Kiava will confront Amun! I mean it. No cop outs, no fall backs. Kiava will finally come face to face with a Shai'tan.**

**But there could be treachery lurking around the corner...**

* * *

**Please, please leave a review. Along with anything you particularly want to see. (Thematically, not specifically), since although the Plot is generally written, there is some wriggle room, and only the draft plot of the Final Book is written.**


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